The Chaos Games
by xcaliber234
Summary: Four tributes. Twelve districts. Forty Four deaths. One to four winners. Tikal, Knuckles and Blaze never wanted part of it. But when they sacrifice safety to save another, they must fight for their lives against others so that they may return home. But they are not alone. Their fourth member is willing to go through anyone to go home. But will he help them survive? Or abandon them?
1. What if we ran?

**_To any other readers that I may or may not already have: I know that this is completely different story, and it means that I will have to work on this as well as "What is this that I feel?" but I plan on getting the chapters for this one up at a slightly slower rate. But I had to get this out there, I love the idea of the crossover and considering how popular the Hunger Games are right now I couldn't help it after reading the book._**

**_Know however I have used very similar situations from the film and book, but none of the characters are fully based off of anyone like Katniss or Gale, so I have not listed this an official crossover. Also instead of just two tributes, each of the districts give two young men and women, I did this so I could fit more of my favourite characters in as well as have some OCs that I wanted._**

**_Other than that Sonic the Hedgehog is owned by Sega, and the theme of the Hunger Games comes from the brilliant talents of Suzanne Collins._**

**_For now enjoy. And may the odds be ever in your favour._**

She knew that she was in the real forest. She could always tell. When she was in a dream she may have felt her weight disappear and her stomach become full. But the anxiety of the reaping never disappeared. It would only ever leave her if she was in the forest, where she preferred to be. Away from coal dust laden gloominess of the town.

She was crouched beside a patch of strawberries, her peach coloured quills tied back behind her head. She would always venture out into the forest, whether it be in the dream world or in reality, to gather nuts, berries and other pieces of fat from the land. She loathed the idea of hunting. She loathed anything that involve the murder of an innocent creature. She knew that when given the choice she would eat greens than meat.

But no matter how strong her will she was always hungry enough to indulge in biting in to cooked flesh for dinner.

As she continued to take the rich red fruit, she failed to notice she was being watched.

The creatures mouth twitched as its purple eyes watched it's unsuspecting prey. The young echidna's guard was down. The hunter had her right where he wanted her. He began to move forward, his stride making not a sound as he prowled across the forest floor towards his target.

The Echidna continued to pick at the strawberries, humming a small tune to herself. However as a twig snapped behind her she raised her head. However she realized she was too late when a hand clasped around her mouth and an arm went around her stomach.

She feared for her life at what might have come, had a familiar voice not whispered in her ear.

"You really need to be aware that this place is dangerous. Especially for pacifists like you, Tikal." the red echidna said with a chuckle as Tikal elbowed her friend in the chest.

Knuckles backed off laughing as Tikal stood to give a serious pout to her friend.

"Chaos dam you Knuckles!" she said stomping the ground.

Knuckles began to calm down as he noticed his friends face. "Oh come on Tik, you know I can't help myself." he insisted, however she looked away from him with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. Though she was secretly playing the hard to get game, and he knew it.

He placed his hands behind her back and casually and walked up behind her.

"Would you forgive me if I said... please."

Tikal raised her nose higher, giving a "hmph" in response.

Knuckles ginned now and walked around in front of her. "What if I said... pretty please?" he asked.

But she just looked off to the side, refusing to face him even with her eyes closes and gave another "hmph" in reply.

"What if I was to tickle you? Would I be forgiven then."

Tikal's eyes snapped open. And it was then that Knuckles knew he had her.

"Yep, your forgiven." she replies quickly as she began to back away slowly with an innocent smile on her face.

Knuckles now ginned evilly as he moved towards her as she backed away, until she turned and began to run. However her attempts were futile as Knuckles grabbed her from behind and began to tickle the sides of her stomach, causing a sudden outburst of laughter from the younger echidna.

This progressed for about a minute until Tikal had been forced to the ground, still laughing her head off.

"Am I forgiven yet?" Knuckles asked as his hands continued to move over her stomach.

"Yes! Yes!... Please stop!" she screamed with delight before Knuckles removed his hands and she slowly gathered her breath and stared up at her friend who now stood above her with a smirk on his face.

His red quills were left hanging loose around his face. He wore a dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his strong forearms. His green cargo pants had a few sowing marks in them, the result of having worn them for so long.

"Now was that so hard?" he asked casually.

Tikal merely stood and gave him a playful shove before walking back to collect her basket that was filled with berries and nuts. "Today was better than most days." She said with slight pride as she examined her bounty. The basket was about half full.

However berries and nuts weren't going to keep her family going. That's why she only ended up keeping a small portion of what she gathered and traded the rest for larger meals.

She gently picked the basket off the ground and turned back to her fellow gatherer with a gentle smile. "So how did you go? Find anything?"

Knuckles shuffled his feet in guilt as he pulled up a bucket of fish, no doubt he caught by the stream about a mile to the east.

Tikal gave him a disappointing look. Sure she would eat meat, but it didn't mean to say that she liked it.

"Well what can I do?" protested the red echidna. "You've already got most of the patches covered. And all the other ones aren't ripe enough yet!" his tone was probably a little louder than he had aimed for.

"You know how I feel about eating living things Knuckles." she said sadly, looking away from him.

The hot headed echidna sighed, letting his frustration vent out. "Look I'm sorry. But I need to put the needs of my family ahead of the fish, I-"

"No." Tikal cut him off. "No you're right. You have your mother and brother to worry about. I don't blame you for having to make that decision." She said with a friendly smile, signifying any harm had been erased, to which Knuckles replied with a matching expression.

The two of them began to walk north, back towards the district.

"Did you see Blaze on your way down?" Knuckles asked.

"If she was at the hives I didn't see her, I took the scenic route." she said guiltily.

Her red counterpart merely sighed and smiled. "you and your love for this place." He said sounding almost tired of the idea.

"You have to love this place for what it is!" Tikal rebutted. "It's untouched, pure and natural."

"Then why don't you live out here yet?" called a third voice.

The two of them looked around to find the source, which was as usual up in the tree.

Blaze sat there straddling the tree branch looking down on her friends with a daring smirk. She wore a dark t-shirt and denim shorts that revealed her strong athletic thighs.

Without a moment's hesitation she threw one leg over the branch and fell to the ground, landing perfectly in a crouched position in front of the two echidnas.

"How were the hives?" Knuckles asked.

From out of a satchel that was slung on her shoulder, the purple cat pulled out three small jars that were filled with the sweet stick substance that was honey. She was one of if not the only person who was strong and nimble enough to climb the trees to the bees hives that made sanctuary of the high canopy.

"Not too well. The hives were running a little low today. I'll have to leave them for a while until the bees stock up again." she eyes the bounty of the Echidnas. "Looks like you two did okay."

"Not enough to satisfy." Tikal said sadly.

"Yeah, well that's the way it works around here I suppose." Blaze said gloomily and the three of them silently reflected on just how long it had been since they were decently fed.

The perfect crossing of blue and green. That was what the meeting of the sky and the forest canopy was like as the two moulded into one in the horizon. The three Mobians sat atop of the hill that over looked the overgrown valley.

It was a couple more hours before they'd have to get back home. They knew the likeliness of them being chosen at the reaping was small. They had never put their names in for more food. They may have been desperate, but they weren't going to be the capitols play things just for more food.

"We could do it you know." Blaze spoke up, breaking the silence that had floated around them for a few minutes. "After today. We could leave it all behind. We could run off and live in the valley."

"They'd find us eventually." Tikal objected.

"What if we did though? What if we just ran off one night and never looked back? We just passed the fence and keep going until we found a place where we would be left alone." Knuckles pondered

"Where would we go?" Tikal asked, shocked that Knuckles was even suggesting it.

"That way." He pointed one spiked hand to the east, where the forest and the sky merged into the horizon. "We'd get across the river and just keep going." He said, hope glowing in his eyes.

The three of them sat in silence, and a few minutes passed before Tikal spoke up once more.

"We still have the pact right?" she asked, nervously, to which her friends nodded silently in reply.

There was a chance, as small as it was, that they could be picked this year. Perhaps the fates would finally be cruel enough to have their names pulled out of the lot. And if one of them was pulled out, then the other two would volunteer.

Five years back, Tikal's name had been pulled out. When she heard her name being called, her heart was filled with dread. She had started to step out of the thirteen year old line, when another girl, a brown hedgehog by the name of Maggie, had stepped out of the eighteen year old line and smiled at Tikal as she walked past as she made her way to the stage in Tikal's place.

Maggie was one of the last to die that year, fighting bravely to the end. Tikal knew that she had sacrificed herself so that Tikal could live. And she never could forget that. Since fate was unkind to her once, it was possible for it to be unkind once more.

So the three of them made a pact. If one of them had their name pulled out, then they would all go together. They were a team. They were friends. They would protect and look after one another. If they were with a team that they trusted, then the chance of surviving was increased to about fifty percent.

"Well, we better get back. We want to look all nice and clean for our last reaping day." Blaze said enthusiastically, as usual.

But she was right. If they made it past today, they would never have to worry about being chosen ever again. However, they would still have to watch as someone they knew, whether it be an acquaintance, or a friend, was chosen to fight for their lives in a game where morality was out of the question.

Soon after they decided it was time to leave, Blaze had departed from the echidnas to make her way home, while Knuckles and Tikal walked together since their houses were right next to each other. As they walked in silence Knuckles couldn't help but feel nervous being with her alone. Sure he was with her alone a lot of the time, but he still couldn't help it.

He had had feelings for the peach echidna since they were small, and his feelings were one of the reasons he agreed to the pact. Whether however his feelings were returned... he was unsure. There would be times when it seemed like it, when she would give him a smile that just made his heart melt.

But then there would be times when he knew such things were mean joke or a gesture of friendship alone. So Knuckles held onto that one thing that kept him going. The one thing that let him know there might still be a chance. Hope.

"Knuckles?" he heard his name.

He realized that he had been lost in his own thoughts so much that he had ignored Tikal's farewell as they stood in front of their houses.

"Uh... sorry. Just a bit nervous I guess." He said, technically it wasn't a lie.

"About the reaping?" she asked, getting a nod in reply. _That_ was a lie.

"Don't worry about it. We've only got our names in once, and I don't think even you're that unlucky to get yours pulled out." She said with a wink.

If Knuckles hadn't already been red, he would be blushing like crazy. "Uh yeah... well I'll see you there." He said before running up his front steps with a smile on his face.

Tikal entered her front door to find her father standing in front of a dusty old mirror as he finished the touches on a poorly done tie. The elder echidna smiled as he watched his daughter enter the house.

"Hello my little angel." He said as he turned from the mirror and gave his daughter a warm hug which she gladly returned. The two of them stood there for a few moments. Enjoying the embrace.

Tikal could tell that her father was nervous. He had every right to be. It was the last time he would have to fear for her life that he might lose his child. After today the two of them would just have to watch as someone else's child was dragged away and never seen again.

The two separated and smiled at each other. Tikal reached up and fixed her father's tie, the knot having being tightened as much as possible. Probably due to his nerves.

"I've set your dress up on your bed. There is a bath ready for you as well." He took in a small breath through his nose. And screwed his face up, "I think you need it too."

Tikal scoffed and gave a small shove as she walked past. The low chuckle of her father following her up the stairs.

She walked into her room and spied the clothes on her bed. It was a light grey dress with a crudely polished brown shoes. The young echidna sighed at the dress. Usually she would wear what she wore now. A thick rain jacket and trousers that made sure that she did not end up getting cut on anything in the woods.

Look pretty for her last reaping day. It was hard to do when you were dressed in your mothers old clothes, not to mention the ones she died in.

After her sorry excuse for a bath, which was essentially just pouring buckets of water over her body, she began to get dressed and started to fix up her clothes. She never really enjoyed dressing up. In fact she would rather walk naked on national television and be proud of her body than just wear some dull grey clothes that smelt of death.

After she went downs stairs, she and her father began to make their way to the reaping grounds.


	2. The Reaping

As the two echidnas passed through the district, families were making final preparations for the reaping. Fathers encouraged sons. Mothers comforted daughters. Those who were too old and sick to leave their homes wished the young ones the best of luck.

Tikal knew that there was a chance that she might need such words, but she was still confident that her luck would shine today, while it burnt out for four others. Condemning them to almost certain death.

"I can't believe it." Her father spoke, drawing her attention as they walked. "You just have to go through this one more day. And then you will be safe."

"But I will still have to watch?" she asked.

The old echidna simply sighed and answered. "Of course. It is the small price to pay for your survival."

Tikal's thoughts however drifted to what she, Blaze and Knuckles had spoke about. How they could runaway and leave the district, the misery and the games behind them.

"What if we stopped watching?" she blurted.

Her father glared at her, absolute surprise on his face.

"I'm serious. If we all stopped watching, then they wouldn't be able to prove how strong they are.

Without warning, and at a speed that did not match the old echidna's age, he grabbed her arm just below the shoulder. It startled Tikal, especially of just how hard his grip was. It scared her.

"Don't let me ever hear you say that again. Not ever. It would be worse enough to losing you for treason than to the games.

"Dad," she replied through emotion, "you're hurting me."

"And don't you forget it. I will not lose my daughter because she goes and runs her mouth without thinking about what consequences can come with such words." He said with a cold look in his eyes before releasing her. He straightened his suit a little and began to move once more. "Come, we're late enough as it is." He said as if what had just transpired was just a figment of imagination.

Tikal remained standing there for a few seconds, wiping the tears that had found a place in her eyes. Once she was done she composed herself, and then followed her father, keeping a small distance between them.

The pair of them arrived at the reaping grounds after a silent walk through the rest of the district. The grounds themselves were probably the most well kept area in the district. A chain wire fence surrounded it while within its perimeter was a large brick building with two bell towers erecting from its triangular roof. The embassy. It housed both the offices of the Capitol, as well as a train station.

The echidnas were met by Knuckles, Blaze and their families which included Knuckles' mother, Teresa, and his baby brother, Fist. Instead of a mother or father, Blaze was accompanied by her Grandmother, Lucy. She was one of the oldest Mobians in the district, but she was far from the weakest. If anything the cane that she held was just for show.

As the father and daughter approached Knuckles did his best to give Tikal a friendly smile, but he was surprised when he only received a small one in return. He also couldn't help but notice a large mark on her arm that looked like it would start bruising soon. But he dismissed it as probably just a bump she got when she was in the forest.

The three families exchanged greetings, each commenting on each other's attire before a gloomy silence settled upon them. A whistle from within the grounds signalled that it was time, and the seven of them began to make their way to the courtyard.

However as he turned to follow the others Knuckles felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Tikal's father, Pachacamac, who pulled him aside.

"Mr. Echidna, is there something you wanted?" the younger echidna asked as he did his best to sound as polite as possible.

"Please Knuckles, call me Pat. I just wanted to ask you something."

"Anything."

"You've known my daughter for a while now. Ever since the two of you were babies in fact. It that time I have come to see you as something of a son to me. So I wanted to as you..." he trailed off as he watched his daughter ahead holding Fist as he tried to grab her quills.

"Yes?" Knuckles asked, wondering if he had lost the elder.

"I want to know if you care for Tikal." Pat asked as he watched the surprised look grow on the younger male.

"Of course I-"

"And when I say care," Pachacamac cut in, "I mean; Do you _care _about her?"

To avoid embarrassment, Knuckles wanted so desperately to lie, but he knew better. Tikal's father had been catching him and the young female up to no good since they were little. So now the old man could see right through any fib or excuse.

"I... uh... yes. I care about her a lot. I'm not sure what I would do without her." he anticipated a scowl from the older echidna, but was surprised when a smile found its way onto Pachacamas's face.

"Then once we are finished here, I give you my blessing. You are a strong caring young man. I think my daughter would be lucky to have a man like you."

Knuckles couldn't help but grin like a fool at this.

"Th-thank you sir! Uh- I mean Pat."

The elder merely chuckled to himself at the young man's excitement.

"Come on. Let's get through this Reaping first. You can thank me later." The old echidna replied before the two of them went after the others.

A sea of white, faded blue, dark and light grey clothes. Mobians and humans alike from twelve to eighteen children lined the courtyard. It was a plain gravel area, lines by wire fences and large scaffolding towers where camera crew stood, perched in their steel trees like birds of prey. At the very front of the main courtyard sat a large black stage, with two podiums that stood on either side of it.

And on top of the podiums were large glass bowls, filled to the brim with small white envelopes, each sealed by a single strip piece of black tape. Each envelope would contain the names of those who were in the running to be selected to represent the district in the death sport that was the Chaos games.

Tikal and Blaze stood side by side, holding each other's hands for good luck. The two stood towards the back of the courtyard, where the eighteen year olds stood. They looked to the opposite side of the grounds to spot Knuckles, who gave them a smile and nod as if to say "It's our last year."

The girls replied in likeness to him before turning back to the facing forwards to the stage, where Max Acorn, mayor of District twelve, stepped out of the Embassy and made his way to a microphone that stood looming in the centre of the stage.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. We are here once again, for the reaping. As one generation leaves candidacy, another enters. Today, four of you, two young men and women, will be chosen to have the prestigious opportunity, of representing district twelve in the 105th annual Chaos Games." He said, ending his speech with a sigh.

"And now to conduct the reaping, all the way from the capitol; Ms. Elise Solaris."

The door to the embassy opened and out stepped a young woman, twenty one years old at the most with red wine coloured hair, wearing a beautiful white dress and on top of her head a wreath made of what appeared to be feathers.

"Thank you Mayor Acorn, and welcome to all of you! I am so glad to see so many of your faces here, ready to take part in such an event. Happy Chaos Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour." She said, expecting some kind of applause but all she got was silence.

Tikal couldn't understand how the human was able to be so happy about what she was doing. But she figured that she didn't understand just what the games were to the people here.

"Without further ado, let us begin!" Elise said excitedly as she walked from the microphone in the center of the stage, and made her way to her right, where one of the large glass bowls sat, with the hundreds of small envelopes. Each one of those was in all rights a person's life. Ready to be plucked out by fate and thrown to the dogs.

Without stopping to decide, the girl just threw her hand in and pulled out one envelope, identical to the rest, but the name in side would be horrifyingly unique. She made her way back to the microphone,

"Our first tribute, from the strapping young lads of District 12," she said as she slowly opened the envelope, the suspense killing her almost as much as the games would kill whoever's name was there.

"Shadow the Hedgehog!" she said with an over excited tone.

Tikal's eyes darted left to see a large area of space forming in the eighteen year old boys. In the centre was Shadow, a black hedgehog with red streaks on the top of his head and through his quills. His face, to Tikal's surprise, was not one of fear, or worry, or surprise. It was acceptance.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds taking in a deep breath before stepping out of line and began a slow walk up to the stage, flanked by two large bull dogs dressed in grey body armour.

Tikal had never known Shadow that well. He was just another Mobian who she would see from time to time, usually dressed in a dark leather jacket, with some kind of red spiral sewed on the back. He wasn't rich, despite the fact that his jacket would have been tremendously valuable, but he did okay compared to the rest of the district.

He was one of the few others that entered the forest. Although he usually strayed much further, usually at night. He hunted much larger game, allowing his family to eat and live a little easier. Tikal didn't hate him for that, she knew that times were tough, and that he was just doing what he had to.

Today however he wore a dark grey collared shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His eyes did not stray from his path as he made his way towards the stage. However as he passed the twelve year old lines, he looked to his right where the girls stood.

Tikal assumed he must have had a sister or something in the line, considering that it looked like he was doing his best to hold back emotion.

As the black hedgehog took his place on the stage beside Elise, the woman couldn't take her eyes off of the hedgehog.

"My, my, my. What an intimidating hedgehog! I'm sure you will strike fear into all of the other tributes, Shadow." She turned back to the audience. "But now, it is time for our first girl." She said as she quickly walked to the second bowl and whipped out one envelope.

Tikal held her breath, and felt Blazes hold her hand tighter as Elise opened the envelope.

"Our first girl, from district twelve," she said as she practically tore the name open. "Maria the Hedgehog."

Tikal closed her eyes and let sigh of relief as she knew that she was one step closer to being safe. However one voice shouted over the entire courtyard.

"NO!"

Tikal's eyes snapped open to see Shadow, wrestling with the guards that stood on stage as he struggled to get to the girl who was now stepping out of the twelve year old line.

She was a young hedgehog, with golden blonde quills and wore a faded blue dress. She began to shuffle towards the stage, very slowly. Too slowly it seemed, as a guard who had appeared to escort her to the stage gave a her a shove.

The shove must have seemed greater than it looked, because it sent the twelve year old into the gravel.

What happened next Tikal could not conceive.

Shadow had stopped wrestling with the guards on the stage, because he had thrown them off of him.

"Get your hands off of my sister!" he screamed in rage as he leaped down to be by Maria's side, when suddenly he fell to the ground, a series of spasms travelling through his body as a guard to the side held a taser in one hand.

The peach echidnas blue eyes continued to watch in horror as the hedgehog was beaten into submission. She was shocked to see that even when he was being beaten to a pulp, and being stunned by numerous tasers, he continued to struggle forward to his sister. Whose tears flowed from her face to the dry ground as she watched her brother being defeated.

Tikal couldn't stand it. She couldn't watch while a child was sent to the games on her first year. It had nearly happened to her seven years prior had it not been for Maggie. And now here was a brother who wanted so desperately for his sister to be safe.

She jumped as she heard a new voice enter the fray of shouts.

"I volunteer!" shock struck Tikal when she came to the revelation that the voice was hers.

Blaze looked at her in utter disbelief, watching as the echidna stepped out of the eighteen year old line and made her way to the front of the courtyard.

All eyes were on her. Even the guards who had been beating Shadow to the ground had stopped in amazement to see the echidna make her way towards them. The circle of armed men around the hedgehog broke as she approached, and she knelt down beside the fallen hedgehog, offering him her hand.

The red irises looked at the hand for a second, before making contact with her light blue. His expression didn't change from a deep scowl on his face. He stood on his own, trembling slightly as he rose.

"Well this is a surprise!" Elise squealed into the microphone. "District Twelves first volunteer! Come on up here dear, tell us all who you are!" the lady beckoned, seeming almost unfazed by the violence that had just occurred between Shadow and the guards.

Slowly, and unsurely, Tikal made her way to the top of the stage, with Shadow following behind her, taking his place with his arms crossed at the back of the stage.

Elise walked over to the echidna as she approached the microphone and practically dragged her in front of it. "What is your name?" she asked.

"Tikal the Echidna." The Mobian replied , spotting Knuckles and Blaze at the back of the grounds.

"You're not related to Maria as far as I know, so why did you help her?"

Tikal's sky blue eyes drifted to the sight of the young hedgehog that now stood back in line with the twelve year olds.

"I don't know. I just...did."

"Aww, and here I hoped there was something between you and Shadow over there." The woman said, causing Tikal to blush slightly at the prospect.

"Any way," Elise continued as she motioned for Tikal to stand by Shadow, "Let us continue with the reaping! Next up is our-"

"I volunteer!" called a gruff voice, and Knuckles stepped out of line and with haste made his way towards the stage.

"Oh my! Another-"

"So do I!" a second voice called, and Blaze began to stride out of her line, and joined Knuckles at his side as the two of them made their way towards the stage, where Tikal stood with tears of happiness in her eyes as she watched her friends come out to join her.

"Uh... three volunteers? All form the same district? This is a first for any district! And what are your names?" she asked as the two made their way onto the stage.

"Knuckles the Echidna."

"Blaze the Cat."

The two said simply before taking their places by Tikal's side, who hugged the two of them as they approached.

"Now... this is heart warming! Three volunteers! And clearly there is something that links the four of you together! How wonderful! Let's give a big hand for our tributes: Blaze the Cat, Knuckles and Tikal the Echidnas and our very violent Shadow the Hedgehog!" she exclaimed while giving a small round of applause.

However everyone else remained silent. Giving no sign that they were congratulating them. Instead all they did was place a hand over their heart and then moved their hand to their head, tapping the side of their index fingers to their forehead.

Our hearts are in our minds. That was what it meant. I sign that they would be rooting for them when the time came.

Which for the four tributes, was all they could ask for.


	3. Why did you do it?

**_I would like start off by thanking the users who reviewed this story when I put the second chapter up. Your feedback is very much appreciated, and I would like to thank you for the support you are giving the story._**

**_This is I will admit a slightly shorter chapter, but I wanted to post something tonight since I won't get much of chance to do anything on the weekend._**

**_But enough of this, here is chapter three of The Chaos Games. Enjoy. _**

The three friends sat in silence as they sat in some of the most comfortable seats they had sat in. They were on the train to the capitol. Elsie had said that they were moving at about two hundred miles per hour. If that was true, if felt more like they weren't moving at all.

Their goodbyes with their families had been brief. The four of them had been brought into a room with no windows, and only one door. Tikal's father, Blazes Grandmother and Knuckles' mother and brother came in, wishing them luck and demanding that they keep together and be safe.

Tikal's father however was much more stern than comforting.

"Why do you have to be so compassionate?" he had asked, clearly not pleased.

"You saw how young she was! she wouldn't have survived!" she protested.

What the lot of them however seemed to forget however was the fact that Shadow was in the same room as them. He sat on the other side of the room, his arms crossed and his eyes closed, not speaking up even when the others insulted him for being aggressive or violent.

Soon two more people entered the room, and Tikal had recognized Shadow's sister, Maria, who was accompanied by an old grey hedgehog with a large moustache. The two groups had separated. Shadow and his family on side of the room, and everyone else on the other.

A few minutes before they were taken away, Tikal had felt a tugging on her dress, and looked down to see Maria. The young hedgehog had grabbed Tikal's hand and placed something in it. When she saw what it was she was surprised.

It was a pendant of some kind. A golden ring, in its center what seemed like a gemstone of sorts. "Thank you. Please look after my brother." Maria had said before the guards practically beat down the door and began to move everyone out.

As they began to file the families out, one of the guards made the grave mistake of grabbing Maria, and before Tikal could warn him, Shadow was on him in an instant, strangling him from behind.

Tikal, Knuckles, Blaze and their families watched in horror as the hedgehog continued to keep his arm locked around the guards throat, whilst his comrade tried desperately to separate them but was thrown against the wall like a rag doll.

As fewer and fewer attempts for air came from the man, Tikal began to worry that Shadow was ready to kill him. Unless someone did something the man was going to die.

"Stop it! Please stop! He's just doing his job! You're killing him!" she screamed as tears fought their way through her eyes.

If he was paying any attention it did not show, because Shadow's hold was not getting any looser. However a much sterner voice broke across the choking, stopping Shadow in his tracks.

"Shadow! Enough!" the grey hedgehog commanded, and in that instant Shadow released the guard who fell to the floor gasping for air.

It took four more guards and three taser strikes to make sure Shadow was no longer a threat, causing him to fall unconscious.

As the guards dragged their injured comrades away, the grey hedgehog approached Tikal.

"You will have to forgive Shadow. He is highly protective of those which he cares about." he turned to Blaze and Knuckles. "I'd advice making sure you stay on his side if you want to survive the coming weeks." And that was all he said before leaving with Maria who gave a small wave good bye to Tikal.

After that they had been brought out to the train. Shadow was placed in his room, while the others waited in the lounge car. Elise left them alone to go and find another hedgehog, who was supposedly going to be their mentor.

Tikal continued to play with the pendant in her hands. It was beautiful. She assumed that Maria had had it for luck, which of course was not in her favour. She was grateful for the gift. However what Maria had said when she gave it to him, that was unnecessary.

Shadow did not need to be looked after as far as she was concerned. He had nearly killed a number of guards on his own, unarmed and outnumbered. If anything he had a high chance of winning the games. Assuming that his strength didn't just come from the rage he was sent into when the guards laid their hands on his sister.

"Why did you do it?" Tikal jumped at the question that was directed at her by Knuckles, who sat off in the corner.

"I... I don't know."

"We were going to be free!" he shouted standing up, knocking his chair to the ground. "We could have run off! We could have left it all behind!"

"Knuckles calm down!" Blaze tried, but to no avail.

"No! No I will not calm down! We could have ran! But Tikal has to go and feel bad about one little girl!" he screamed as he kicked the leg of a small coffee table, causing it to and collapse to the floor, causing Tikal to cringe in her seat.

Blaze however had no such fear of the echidna's rage. "If I were you I'd watch what you say. Remember that little girl is Shadow's sister, and if he does that much damage to people who so much as touch her, I'd hate to see what would happen if he heard you talking about her like just another log in the fire."

Knuckles would have retaliated, but at the back of the car a door slid open, and a blue hedgehog stepped through. He wore brown jacket with a hood thrown over his back while on his feet he wore a pair of red sneakers with large white stripes running through the center of them.

His green eyes lazily locked with the echidnas and the cat, but he soon dropped his gaze and made his way to a cupboard and began to pulled out a number of ingredients.

"I would say congratulations," the hedgehog finally spoke, "But you're going to die anyway."

"Sonic the Hedgehog." Blaze said, remembering the name of one of the few tributes from district twelve that had ever become a champion. "_You're_ the one who's supposed to be teaching us?"

" You say it as it it's a bad thing. However you'll have to excuse me," he held up the items he pulled out. "I have some chilli dogs to make." He said with a grin as he began to leave the room almost as quickly as he came.

"Hey!" shouted Knuckles, refusing to let this slide. "You're the one who's supposed to be telling us how to survive! You can't just walk off to eat some dogs!"

"Sorry kid," Sonic said turning his back on them entirely, "But there is no point in putting faith in horses that aren't strong enough to win the race." He said lastly before disappearing back into whatever car he came from.

"Not strong enough?" the echidna growled behind clenched teeth, "I'll show him who's not strong enough." he spat before storming after the hedgehog, with Blaze hot on his tail.

And just like that, Tikal was alone. She considered following and helping to bring Sonic to his senses, and try to stop Knuckles from beating the snot out of him. But she knew the hedgehogs type. He was a boastful, arrogant Mobian. Believing that just because he had become champion he was able to speak down on every one.

Sonic had no right to be boastful. He had let his fellow tributes kill while he ran. He was fast, that was sure enough, he was certainly fast enough to turn on his team before they realized who or what hit them.

That was how the Chaos Games worked. Each district would offer up four tributes. Forty eight tributes would fight to the death. It was a team based thing really, but there was a catch, the more of the winning district who died, the greater the rewards for the Champions.

A door opened up behind her expecting to see Elise coming back, but her gut dropped when it was Shadow that walked through clutching his head in one hand.

His red eyes locked with hers, and Tikal could see the anger that still burned behind them.

He dropped his gaze and made his way to one of the chairs opposite her, and before she knew it they were sitting there, staring at one another. Neither one refusing to break the eye contact.

_He looks so angry. And yet he looks calm all the same. What is with him?_ She thought to herself, wondering just what was going on inside Shadow's head.

After a few minutes they both finally dropped each other's gaze. They continued to sit there in silence, neither one speaking up, neither one of them having any intention of speaking.

But Tikal knew that she had to make some kind of bridge with the hedgehog. If all of them were going to survive, they would need his help. She was unsure whether he was as strong as Knuckles, but he knew how to hold his own, the guards were testament to that.

He was a forest delver as well, he went deeper into the brush than any of them, and he almost always came back with a decent kill. He was a hunter, he knew how to survive. He was ready to kill if he had to. If any of the four of them had a chance, it was Shadow.

"Are you feeling okay?" Tikal asked, breaking the silence that had settled on them.

Shadow however gave no reply, he didn't even seem to acknowledge that she asked a question.

"That was brave what you did, taking on the guards for your sister." She thought maybe if she brought up his sister maybe he would talk, it had been obvious he loved her greatly, not many people would take on guards the way he had.

Yet still he remained silent, his eyes closed and his head down.

"Are you going to say anything?"

Shadow now stood and began to walk off, clearly frustrated with her.

Tikal didn't watch him go, she just sat there trying to figure out what she had done wrong. All she did was try to be polite, and it was as if he resented her for that.

"Thank you." a voice spoke, and Tikal turned in her seat to see the black hedgehog standing in the doorway with his back to her. "Maria would not have survived if it wasn't for you. If you need anything..." he did not finish his sentence, and before Tikal could respond he was gone. And once again she was left alone. Alone with the thought that this was the first time since his outburst at the reaping that Shadow had actually spoken.

He didn't know why he had said anything. Usually he would speak only in the presence of his family. But this girl had done a service greater than anything that he could repay. She saved Maria. She was willing to sacrifice herself so that the young hedgehog could live at least for another year.

_"You have an obligation now my son." _His father had said to him. _"You have to ensure that they remain safe. Especially the echidna girl. She saved Maria's life. You must protect her, even if it leads to your death."_

"I will father." He said out loud to himself. and with that he moved back into the bed he had awoken from unconsciousness in, and he soon fell asleep.

**_Kimura the Cat- I'm glad to hear that you like it, and I thought people would like me to change it a bit rather than sticking with the normal storyline._**

**_Arena Master No. 19- Hahaha, no I don't think she would have lasted, thank god for Tikal!_**

**_Koollolly- Glad to know you like this, and thanks for calling me a great writer, sometimes I reckon my teachers and friends are just being nice, but it's great to hear it form a stranger, and a very popular one on this site of that!_**

**_Wolfy Winter and Dream- Best crossover ever? I wouldn't have thought so but it is great to hear that you think so._**

**_HoLyCoW101- Thanks mate, glad to know you like it and I hoped you liked what did happen next! _**


	4. The beds are too comfortable

**_Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Chaos Games. I'd like to thank those who have kept with the story and have placed it in their favourites as well their story alerts. I'd also like to thank Jakk100 for being an awesome friend in beta reading and editing new chapters, thanks bud!_**

**_A slightly longer chapter as well, it turned out I had the weekend to myself so I spent most of my time writing this and I was glad that I was able to finish it tonight and put it up. I hope you enjoy this new chapter, have fun!_**

A bed in district Twelve was usually just a mattress on the floor, and most of the time one single mattress was shared by two people. That was if you were lucky enough not to share with the cockroaches.

Blaze was unsure what to make of her bed. Not only was there enough room for three, but it was clean, insect free and it was all to herself. She stood there beside the bed, she didn't sit or lie down, she just stared at the piece of furniture as if it was about to get up and attack her.

She wanted to go and share a room with Tikal, she would have felt much more comfortable if she was with a friend but she could not find her after she came back from going after Sonic with Knuckles. So she continued to stand there, staring at the bed.

Soon she found the courage to at least sit down, however she could not bring herself to lying down just yet. Instead she continued to sit there, remembering the look on her grandmother's face when they said their goodbye. It wasn't sadness. To Blaze's surprise it had been the same expression Shadow had worn when his name was called. Acceptance.

Her mother was a very strange and cryptic woman. Often she would just go with the flow of things, unfazed by the effects they held. Some people believed that she could see the future, or that she was a witch. But Blaze knew that such talk was nonsense, though sometimes she did question just how could her grandmother handle new events if she hadn't already seen them coming.

But right now she did not care. How her grandmother handled new revelations was of no concern to her. She had to survive.

Morales had to be put aside if she wanted to live to see home again. She would have to get rid of her charismatic behaviour and learn how to survive. How to fight. How to kill. Though it seemed like such a foreboding task she knew it was either fight or die now.

As these thoughts of the coming weeks began to drift into her mind, tears began to form in her eyes and in a few seconds she could not control the flow of tears that now ran down her cheeks. She knew that she had to be strong. She had to be willing to kill. And that was what scared her, the fact that she was willing to do it.

She was terrified that the games would change her into something that she was not. She feared that the games would turn herself, Knuckles and Tikal into murderers. The district would either look upon them with pride or disgust if they returned as champions.

She jumped as she heard knocking on her door, and Tikal stepped through.

"Hey I was just... Blaze are you okay?" She asked as she noticed the tears running down the cats face.

Blaze however couldn't reply, she was too busy trying not to break into an all out sobbing.

The peach echidna quickly approached her friend's side and sat on the bed with her, wrapping an a caring arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did Knuckles say something?"

She shook her head as the tears continued to roll down her face.

"Then what is it? Come on I'm your best friend, if you can't tell me who can you?"

She had a point there, the two of them had known each ever since they were little, sure they had known Knuckles about the same amount of time, but there were some things that just made the girls bond together better, things that guys aren't really used to.

"It's just..." Blaze began, but she found it hard to continue. "There are going to be forty eight of us in there. And they're not just going to kill themselves off. We'll have to do it."

"You're worried about what people will think if you kill someone." The echidna could tell. Blaze could become very concerned on how her actions were viewed. "Look, Blaze... no one will blame you for doing what you have to do. I most certainly won't. I'll be in there with you, both me and Knuckles will." She said with a comforting smile.

Although her answer was very simple, Blaze actually did feel slightly calmer than before. She looked up at her friend and gave a calm smile.

"Thanks Tik, you're the best friend a girl could have."

"And don't you forget it Blazey." She responded happily ash she wiped away the tears running down her friends face. "Now come on, we need to get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow."

As she began to leave, Blaze felt the chill of loneliness begin to creep up her spine once again. And she didn't like it.

"Hey, Tikal?"

The young echidna turned just as she was about to walk out the door. "Yeah?"

"Do you... do you think that you can stay with me tonight?" she asked awkwardly.

The two of them had not had a sleep over in two years, but now since they were not in their own homes and were instead in comfortable beds, Blaze couldn't help but feel the need to have a friend close by.

Thankfully Tikal gave a warm smile and nodded. "Sure, just let me go and get my pyjamas and I'll be right back."

And she was gone. A few minutes later she returned and the two of them laid in bed for a while, letting the silence settle on them until Tikal broke it.

"Just like when we were kids right?" she said with a giggle, and the two of them spent a little while talking about the past before finally drifting off to sleep.

_How could she have done it? We wouldn't have had to worry about it anymore. We could have run off! I was going to-!"_

Knuckles' thoughts stopped there. He sat up in bead and let his head sit in his hands. The bed was far more comfortable than his own, but it didn't have that homely feel to it. It was alien to him, it was far too comfortable.

His attempts to get Sonic to talk to them had not worked at all, the hedgehog had just ran back to his room and locked the door, a very stubborn and strong door of that. The echidna wanted so desperately to find some way off of the train, to leap off and disappear, and who knows maybe if he survived the jump he could survive wherever he landed.

However he had tried all of the doors, each of them were as stubborn as a tree with deep roots, and refused to move. So he had gone to bed. If he couldn't find some way off of the train, then he might as well sleep on it.

That didn't work so well either, the smell of the bed was too clean for his tastes. It did not help that his mind was flooded with thoughts of anger and frustration for Tikal either. As much as she meant to him he could not seem to stop the blitz of anger that fuelled his desire to scream at her for what she had done.

But he didn't want to stay mad at her, if he did how could he ever love her? Deciding he just needed to clear his thoughts, he got up from his bed and walked out of his room, making his way down the train to the dining room to get himself a drink.

The lights in the trains halls had been dimmed, so half the time he was tripping over his own feet in the darkness. Soon after his journey through the hall ways, he found himself in the dining car, and made his way over to where a glass pitcher sat next to a set of glass cups.

Knuckles' picked up one of the cup and examined it. Glass of that standard was a very expensive commodity in District 12, only mining administrators and the Mayor could afford such things. As he poured himself a glass, he let his purple eyes gaze drifted towards his right to one of the windows, expecting to see the rolling hills passing by. Instead however he was met with a pitch black silhouette blocking his view.

In a panic Knuckles dropped the glass and it shattered on the floor, its contents spilling onto the carpet. The figure however did not move, and for a second Knuckles began to question whether his mind was merely playing trick on him.

However his eyes soon began to adjust to the darkness, and a snarl appeared on his face as he recognized the red streaks that went through the hedgehogs quills. But still, Shadow did not move.

"What are you doing here?" Knuckles questioned, but all he got in return was silence.

"You have stones in your ears? Answer me!" he growled, and still Shadow was unresponsive.

"It's because of you that we're here, you know? If you hadn't acted all protective of your sister, Tikal wouldn't have felt sorry for you. And then me and Blaze wouldn't have had to step up onto that stage with her.

"You're putting our lives at risk. Especially Tikal's. If she's hurt, in any way, know that I will not hesitate to hurt you back or worse. Just because you're on our team does not mean that it will make it any less easier for me to kill you if I have to. Remember that." He spat before he stormed off.

The red eyes of the hedgehog looked over to where the echidna had once stood.

"I will." He replied, then slowly his gaze returned to looking at the country passing by, and the streak of crimson horizon that signalled the new day.

_"- so what are your first thoughts on this year's tributes?"_

_The man in the chair opposite the MC stroked his large orange moustache, thinking to himself about what he had seen from the footage of the Reaping all across the twelve districts. _

_"Well it is difficult to say from just viewing the footage, however I am obviously impressed with the events that went down in District twelve. To receive one volunteer is rare enough, but three of them is something you see once every couple of decades, so we are very lucky to have witnessed something like this."_

_The ivory bat nodded and looked to her papers before looking back at the Gamekeeper. _

_"Do you believe there to be some sort of bond between the three of them?"_

_"I'd say there is definitely something that binds them. When the first volunteer came forward-"_

_"You mean Tikal?"_

_"Yes, her, when she came forward almost instantly the other two came up. There could be some kind of a relation with the red echidna, Knuckles I believe, and there could be a sort of teenaged bond between Tikal and the cat, Blaze."_

_"Could it be possible that there is something a bit more than relation between the two echidnas?" the MC asked with a smirk, to which the human gave a small chuckle. _

_"Rouge if we are talking about some kind of romance then I think this year just got a whole lot more interesting." And the two of them and the audience in the background shared a giggle at the prospect. _

_"This is now your twentieth year as Gamekeeper, in all of your years have you ever seen something like Shadow the Hedgehog from twelve?"_

_Game Master Robotnik gave a large grin and straightened his red suit._

_"Ah, Shadow... now he is a rare one. It is often we get tributes who resist selection, most try to run away. But that's the thing with Shadow, he was fine with his selection. However if we take a look at what happened, he took on the guards because another person's selection."_

_"Have we been able to confirm whether Maria was family or not?"_

_"No, but we are pretty certain that the two were related by blood. However I did not see much of a relation. One is a cute little girl while the other is an intimidating and incredibly violent individual. Not only did he fight against Maria's selection, but whilst saying good bye to his family he nearly killed another guard, it took at least three men to bring him down, and even then they had trouble."_

_"Three men? Amazing! What do you believe we can expect to see from Shadow in the games?" _

_"Shadow I believe will be a wild card. The source of his strength might be his family, so without the necessity to protect them he may go down like a pile of bricks. Or..." the man trailed off, not even sure himself what could happen._

_"Or...?" the bat inquired._

_"Or... he could be one of the fiercest fighters we've ever seen."_

Knuckles pressed the button on the remote and the two of them disappeared. He was pissed. Not only were they going with the idea that he loved Tikal (which wasn't denying) but they went on to talk about Shadow like it was predetermined that he was going to win.

It made him sick. Sure he took out a couple of guards. But that could have easily been a rush of adrenalin compared to the real strength that Knuckles knew that he had. Was it jealousy that they had talked about him more than they had about anyone else? Possibly, but he would never admit it.

His rage soon began to boil over and he would have thrown the remote at the television had Tikal and Blaze not come through the door. He did not smile at either of them and simply went to sit down and finish the toast he had been given, which had long gone cold.

The other two were given the same meal by a few of the train staff who smiled kindly at them as they handed them their breakfast. Which Tikal and Blaze both found quite creepy. Usually when someone offered them food with a smile like that, it meant either a paedophile or a kidnapper.

The two sat on the opposite side of the table to Knuckles, and the three of them began to eat in silence, which Knuckles found unbearable. A few days ago if they were eating what little food they had with one another they would be cracking jokes and swapping stories, but not today. Not since the previous day.

They stayed in silence for what seemed like about half an hour until Knuckles finally broke it.

"Hey... I uh... just wanted to say sorry for yesterday."

The girls both looked up from their breakfast, somewhat surprised, but soon a smile came over both of their faces.

"Knuckles," Tikal began, "you had every right to-"

"No. No don't talk me out of this one Tikal. I was angry with you for being kind. That's something that you just shouldn't get pissed about. So I'll say it again. I'm sorry." He said averting his eyes from the two of them.

Blaze and Tikal both looked at each other with smiles on their faces, both glad that their friend had come to his senses. Blaze however wasn't done. She picked a small piece off of her toast and threw it at the echidna's head.

Knuckles actually jumped when the food scrap made impact and looked up at the two as if he had had a hammer thrown at him. In but a few seconds the three of them were laughing their heads off like that they use to, and the fact that they were on a train heading for a competition of death became near nonexistent for them.

The three of them however stopped laughing when and turned to see the dining cars door open and Shadow stepped through. He casted his red eyes across the three of them, as if examining them before giving a low 'Hmph' and strode past them towards his own breakfast

Tikal and Blaze couldn't help but stare at the hedgehog as he passed, while Knuckles gave a threatening glare. Though he was fine with his friends now, he would probably never be with the black hedgehog.

Shadow took his meal and sat himself down in a chair on the far side of the room from the trio, refusing to have any contact with them as he dug into his breakfast. He ignored the looks he was getting from the others, doing his best not to connect his own gaze with theirs.

Fortunately the door opening on the other side of the car drew their attention from him, and their eyes were set on Sonic as he waltzed into the room and snatched a plate of breakfast from the staff before sitting down near Tikal and her friends.

"You know," the hedgehog said with a mouthful of toast. "I never was fond about the Capitol when I was first picked. But I'll hand it to them, "They know how to make good-"

"So when do we start?" Blaze butted in, already tired of the blue ones care free behaviour.

"Whoa, what with the rush? There's no point in worrying about what goes down in the arena. Relax, and enjoy the best life has to offer before you're put to death." He said as he raised a fork that had impaled a piece of bacon.

A fist slammed on to the table that caused everyone to jump, and knocked over a few glasses of juice.

"Why the hell are you here then?!" Knuckles shouted.

The blue hedgehog bit the bacon off of his fork and gave a smile. "For the finer qualities they give me every year when four of you motley lot are pulled forward to play the game."

Knuckles was about to continue his rant but a darker voice spoke up which sent a chill up everyone's spine, even Sonics.

"You won because you were likeable. Because you could get sponsors." The black hedgehog said coldly. "You didn't win because of skill, you won because you had the perks that came with being a charmer."

All eyes in the room were now focused on Shadow. For everyone aside from Tikal, this was the first time they had heard Shadow speak. His red eyes were locked with the blue eyes of the blue hedgehog.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see you there, faker. But it's good to know that I have a fan." Sonic commented, referring to them both being hedgehogs, and now that he brought it up, Tikal and the others actually saw some resemblance between the two.

Shadow turned his gaze to the others. "Take my advice and don't try to get anything out of him. He's ensuring that you go in blind so that you die, and then he can continue to enjoy being the only Champion from twelve."

"Now hold on a second-" Sonic began but he didn't get the opportunity to say anything. Because at that moment Blaze, Tikal and Knuckles all got up and ran to the window and were in utter awe by what the gazed upon.

It was a city that could only exist in their imagination. Buildings that touched the sky, like pillars of divine architecture that shone in the brilliant sunlight.

As the three of them continued to watch as the city edged closer, Shadow got up out of his seat and made his way back to his room to gather his things, leaving the others to their admiration of New Mobotropolis.

"It's... amazing." Blaze stated, utterly dumbfounded.

"How is it possible to build such things?" Tikal wondered.

At that moment darkness covered their vision, and they began to worry that the city had been all but a mirage. But soon light began to shine in the darkness, and instead of a scenic view of the celestial like city, they were met with cheering and smiling faces of both Mobians and humans.

It was a train station, and a crowd had gathered in their honour. They cheered for them as if they had already won the games, and Tikal couldn't help but smile and wave at the sea of faces that cheered in excitement for the arrival of the tributes from District Twelve.

Some even waved signs that rooted for either the four of them, or an individual, and there were some that cheered for Shadow (to Knuckles' dismay).

As the trio went back to their rooms to gather their things, Knuckles felt a hand grab his arm. He looked back to see Sonic sitting there, his cheeky smile gone from his face and was replaced with a look that practically spelled concern.

"I'd watch that hedgehog if I were you. Something tells me he doesn't really need you or the girls."

To his surprise, Knuckles found himself nodding at the hedgehogs advice, before turning away to get his belongings/

**_Arena Master 19- Yeah the hot head probably does need to, thanks for keeping with the story!_**

**_Toxic the Hedgehog- You must have the ability to see into the future my friend, hope you enjoyed the new chapter._**

**_Hat Guy- Thanks for the advice mate, it was only after second chapter that I got my friend Jakk100 to start editing my work, but I'm glad to know your thoughts._**


	5. Beneath the coal dust

**_Hey guys, welcome back to the Chaos Games, now this chapter will be cut short as I had to get some other work done, but I hope that it suffices for you guys for now. Also when it mentions Mephilis the Dark, picture him when he actually looked like Shadow, except with grey streaks instead of red, I think his crystal looking form just looked a bit out of character. Anyway, enjoy!_**

"Go Tikal!" a green mongoose shouted.

"Shadow! Hey Shadow over here!" a human with wild blue hair called out.

"We love you Knuckles!" a pair of Meerkats screamed.

"Blaze, you're hot!" a group of chipmunks shouted.

The four of them, aside from Shadow, could not help but smile and wave at the crowd that had gathered to greet them at the train station. A number of policemen and station staff had to link arms to form a safe path for the tributes to walk through to reach their car.

If the four of them really thought about it, this was the first time they actually felt that the guards were there to protect them.

Soon the four tributes, Elise Solaris and the mentor Sonic had made it to a large black limousine that waited for them outside of the station. As Shadow was first off the train he was first in the limo, putting himself in the corner hoping to remain isolated from the others. However as Tikal got in she placed herself right next to him.

She didn't mind sitting with him unlike Blaze and Knuckles. If anything Shadow preferred sitting next to her than the others, perhaps it was because he felt an obligation to be next to her in order to protect her. He didn't trust anyone in the capitol, no matter how much they cheered his name.

"So from here we'll be taken to the salon." explained Elise. "Oh I know you will just love our designer, she comes highly recommended in the fashion industry."

Blaze cleared her throat. "What exactly are they going to do to us?" she asked, sounding almost worried.

"Why they're going to make you look presentable of course, help show the world just how beautiful and handsome the four of you are." Elise replied with such energy that everyone in the car, even Shadow, found it creepy.

"Why do we need to look presentable? I wasn't aware that I needed to be looking pretty when the killing starts." Tikal spoke up from next to Shadow, who smirked lightly at her joke, but it was gone before anybody noticed it.

The human giggled into her hand at the joke, she seemed to find it a little too funny. "Well tonight is when we get to show you off to the world in the annual Chaos Ball. All the other tributes will be there with their mentors, as well as a number of members of parliament. And of course, President Mephilis himself." she said with what almost sounded like pride.

"A ball?" Knuckles questioned, his voice raising to a higher pitch indicating nervousness.

"I'm pretty sure you're not deaf rad red," Sonic said with a grin. "This is the first time the public gets to really see you, and it will also give you a chance to be seen by the President as well. If there is anyone you want to impress, it's the top hog of this country."

"And think about it," Elise added, mostly to Tikal and Blaze. "This way you get to live out a fairytale for the night." She said with that smile that seemed far too happy.

The echidna and the cat looked to one another, their confusion was all too clear.

"Oh, you must not have read that one." Elise said awkwardly.

Soon the car pulled up to another tower in the city. It was considerably shorter than the rest, only about ten stories high, but to the four tributes it was still beyond anything they had ever seen. The only buildings that went past two stories were warehouses, and even then they only went to about three.

As the tributes began to make their way inside, it was obvious that they were quite the talk of the town as there was another crowd gathered at the entrance of the Salon, thankfully with more crowds came more guards to hold them back.

The inside of the salon was far different than it had been on the outside. The roof, walls and floor were like polished black marble, with white lights travelling down the roof in rows. There were stations set up in almost every available space that could be spared, each wither either one or two people at each. One person would be lying down while the anyone else that was there would be toying with their hair, nails or the bizarre makeup that they wore on their face.

Elise lead them through the row after row of cosmetic stations, the eyes of both stylists and customers alike followed them as they passed. They did not seem fazed by the arrival of the tributes, for them it was a yearly thing of seeing them walk though the salon they went to at least once a week.

They soon stopped at an isolated part of the salon where they were met by four Mobian stylists who smiled and nodded at them as they approached.

Elise stepped forward and presented the four of them to their stylists "I'd like to introduce you to the very people who have helped all of the past tributes from Twelve shine like the stars that they are, and have helped clean away all that coaldust you have had to live in for years. If you will please follow them, you will be brought back as gods incarnate." She stated with excitement and reluctantly the four of them began to separate and move off with their stylist.

Tikal stood there for a second and watched as Knuckles and Tikal were lead away and couldn't help but feel worried for them. She even watched as Shadow was lead off as well. When he turned back his eyes locked with hers again, and she was caught in their dark red centres before her own stylist lead her away behind the curtain of her station.

For nearly two hours her quills were soaked and pulled at, her nails hands and feet were cleaned repetitively, and outlying strands of fur were either cut or plucked out. If Tikal didn't know better she would have said that they were performing surgery with efficiency they worked with. When they were finally done she was let out of her station feeling cleaner than she had ever felt, almost sensing a sort of aura around her as she walked.

Blaze and the others however had been lead off, and Elise, in the midst of trying to comment on how beautiful Tikal was, mentioned something about them being taken to meet with the designers who would work on their clothes for that evening.

After Elise's excessive rambling of the beauty before her, Tikal was lead away to a room on the second level of the salon. As they made their way to the room, Tikal couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself for being the last one to go and see their designer.

Being last one going to see them meant that the stylists had spent a larger deal of time on her. And if they spent more time on her, it probably meant that she wasn't as pretty as Elise had stated with enthusiasm.

These thoughts continued to hover in her mind and she could not help but worry of what impact this may have with her designer. It was possible that she was overreacting, and she never really cared about her physical appearance until today, but for some reason the idea of standing in front of people and being some kind of idol to them made her think that it was important to look the part.

The door opened and she looked up to see best friend, her fur so clean it was the perfect shade of violet, she was beautiful and it suited her.

Blaze smiled and ran into the room and embraced Tikal in a strong, sisterly hug. "Tiki you look beautiful!"

Tikal didn't acknowledge the complement, and instead drew back from the hug and examined her friends new look. "You look stunning Blaze, if men thought you were hot before they'll be bowing to you now."

The two of them were so lost in their conversation that they almost didn't notice the door to the room open, and in stepped a pink hedgehog with her quills cut short wearing a pair of long denim jeans and a pink tank top. The two of them stood there for a second, watching the hedgehog before a small smile went across the pink ones face and she made her way over to the echidna and the cat.

"I hoped that I would get to work with you." she said as she pulled up a chair. "I saw you two on T.V, that was very brave what you did. I'll do what I can to help you win the crowd, but I can't promise that they will start sending you perks as if it was Christmas. I'm Amy."

Tikal and Blaze both looked at each other in surprise at how the hedgehog had introduced herself.

"You're not going to congratulate us?"

"People who would do that are sick. Tributing four young people to fight to the death? That's something you don't congratulate, that's something that should be condemned."

A smile stretched the two girls faces, this hedgehog at least was different to every other person in the capitol that viewed that games as nothing but sport.

"So, tonight you'll be shown off at the Chaos Ball. I assume you've been told a bit about it?" Amy asked.

"Elise said it was something like out of a fairytale." Blaze said, relaying what little knowledge they had of the event.

Amy scoffed, having full known that that was coming. "Yeah, she says that to every tribute, every year. Of course it doesn't mean anything to them. It's one of the biggest parties of the year, and it is extremely private, reserved for politicians and potential sponsors and of course the President. Only one or two people back in twelve actually know it exists though, they don't film it or air it in anyway."

Tikal sighed and hung her head. "So you're here to make us look pretty?"

"No." Came a response and the two of them looked up to see Amy with a small smirk on her face."I'm here to make you look presentable. Too much beauty and people will start to think that that's all you have. Make you look pretty and smart, and people will start to have faith that you could be worth their money."

"And if we're worth their money, the more sponsors we can get." Blaze said with a smile creeping onto her face.

"And the more sponsors you get, the better chance you have at winning." The pink hedgehog said with a warm smile that Tikal and blaze both shared. "Now let's see what I can do for you."

It was about three hours later that Knuckles stood at the entrance to what was apparently the ball room. Even though he was not even inside he was impressed with the design of the building, it looked as if it was something that you would only ever see in a dream, though in this case the dream of being here could be considered a nightmare.

He twisted his head around and pulled at his collar. His clothes were fancy, he didn't like fancy. If stuffing him into a suit and throwing him in front of a crowd was going to get sponsors, then the games themselves should be easy. And although he disliked the fact that his stylists had their hands all over him whilst cleaning and grooming him, he didn't mind the finished result.

Though he might never admit it, he felt cleaner than he ever felt in his life. He had been surprised when they were washing out his quill just how much coal dust was in them and now his quills were a pure red, radiating with colour as if it was heated metal.

A bell sounded of to the side, signalling an elevators arrival. Knuckles stood ready to see who would come out, but when the elevators occupants walked out his jaw almost fell to the floor. And although Blaze looked stunning, Tikal was just a sight of pure amazement.

They both wore a black strapless dress that descended to just below their knees which revealed a pair of black high heels on both of them. The two of them looked at Knuckles, and smiled noticing how handsome and clean he looked.

"Looking good Knucks." Blaze commented as they approached the dumbfounded echidna.

"What? Oh uh thanks, uh... You two look great." He said, though really he was talking to Tikal.

"Where's Shadow?" the now bright orange echidna asked, much Knuckles' dismay.

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen him since we all got split up. He's probably too stubborn to-"

"Show up?" said a voice that caused Knuckles to jump. Standing behind the echidna was the hedgehog in question, wearing a suit similar to Knuckles', with a blood red bow tie and his arms crossed.

As the three of them took moment to wonder how he was standing there the whole time, Tikal couldn't help but notice just how dark his quills were. Sure she knew that he was a black hedgehog, but it was only now she noticed that his quills before had been something next to dark grey with all the coal dust and what not in them. Now They were as black as night, and his red stripes were about the same colour as Knuckle's fur.

And as much as she was surprised to admit it, he looked considerably handsome.

"How long have you been standing there?" Blaze asked, confused as to how he got there in the first place.

"Yeah, I've been here the whole time and you hadn't shown up." Knuckles added.

The hedgehogs red eyes connected with purple of the red echidna. "Did you think it was possible that I came here before you?"

"Even so! I still haven't seen you!" protested Knuckles

"Hmph. Perhaps you need to open your eyes a little more, you could get yourself killed." The hedgehog stated coldly.

Anger was clearly all that was flowing through the echidna as he clenched his fists ready to use them.

"Is that a threat?" he challenged, stepping forward placing his face only inches from Shadows.

"I don't make threats, why bother wasting the time?" he replied, a small smirk etched on his face.

As nice as it was to have Shadow talking, he was urging Knuckles into reacting, and when Knuckles wanted to react, it was usually best to stay out of the room. The two stood ready for whatever the other one would throw at them.

"Okay that's enough!"

The two males looked to the side with a look of surprise and confusion on their faces, and they were even more surprised to see that it was Tikal that had shouted, and she now pushed the two of them apart.

"Is it not possible for you two to get along? We're a team! And none of us are going to live if we can't get along." She said as her eyes darted between the two of them.

Knuckles averted his eyes in what seemed like shame whilst Shadow gave what seemed like his signature "Hmph", and began to move off. "Whatever." He said as he turned his back on those who were supposedly his team.

"Where are you going? We're supposed to be going in there!" Blaze called after him, pointing at the set of large doors that lead to the main ball room.

In an instant Shadow turned on his heel shot a glare at the three of them. "We're supposed to be home. You're all supposed to be gathering, providing for your families. I'm supposed to be protecting my sister. We're not supposed to be here!" he shouted, and the others couldn't help but feel a chill run up their spines as his voice vibrated around the room.

"I am not their play thing. I'm not some doll that they can clean and throw into a suit. And I'm surprised that you don' think the same thing." he spat. "We're not people to them, we're investments. We're tools. We're supposed to either kill, live or die, to prove that we are beneath them." he sighed and lowered his head. "All I want is to go home so I can protect my family."

Although the suggestion of escape would surely get them killed, Tikal couldn't help but feel the need to agree with him, but this was not the way. Cautiously she approached him, and then slowly placed a hand on his shoulder.

He raised his head slightly and looked into her eyes, seeing the soft comfort that lay within them.

"I understand. But if we want to go home, we have to play their game. And if we want to be able to win this game, we need to make sure that people like us." She said softly as a smile grew on her face. "So how about we go in there and make the most of it? There's free food after all." she removed her hand form his shoulder and held it in front of him, hoping that he would take it.

To every one's surprise, it was not a smirk, but the smallest possible smile that made its way to the hedgehogs face, one that practically spelt calmness. With that he took her hand. "Alright then." He said, and then slowly, Tikal led him to the door of the ball room, with Knuckles' gaze following both of them.

**_Felt like ending it right there because I just want to get something out onto fanfic now, I'll pick up at the ball in the next chapter, for now thanks for reading, I've been xcaliber, you've been my audience, review and favourite, put on your alert list, and I will see you all soon._**

**_Arena Master- Thanks mate, glad to know that you're keeping with the story._**

**_Toxic the hedgehog- A fight between Knuckles and Shadow? Don't be ridiculous! *looks from side to side nervously*_**

**_Swan7- Thanks, happy to hear from you._**

**_HoLyCoW101- Don't worry cow, I updated!_**

**_Rose- Happy to see that you liked it, and that you got around to reading it!_**


	6. Shall we dance?

**_Well it took me longer than usual, but here is the new chapter! Hope you enjoy it! And if there is any grammatical mistakes, get over it! I wanted to put it up last night and my editor was already asleep. Any way: Enjoy!_**

Elise had been right. It almost did seem like a fairytale, even if it was one that they had never read. There were men and women, both human and Mobian, all of all ages and sizes gathered in the room.

There were almost endless platters of food, they could fit more food on to their plate than they had ever eaten in a fortnight. However they hardly got the chance to eat with droves of guests trying desperately to meet them and congratulate them.

While Blaze Knuckles and Tikal were polite enough to put their dinner off a few minutes, Shadow ignored them rudely, refusing to shake their hands or to give any acknowledgement to the people who so badly wanted to meet him.

However in his actions Tikal didn't see rudeness, a lack of manners or an overriding hunger that stopped him from speaking to them. To her it was plain and simple, he did not want to interact with them, he had no intention of so much as looking at them. She had feared that he would lash out at some of them, and demand he be left in peace. But no such outburst came. He just carried on eating.

Amongst the crowd they were able to spot some of the other tributes as well, they weren't hard to pick out, they were the only young people there. The four of them were sure to note each of them, trying to pick out who they were and what kind of threat they could pose. Amazingly Sonic was willing to help.

"See those ones right there?" the hedgehog said as he discreetly pointed at a group of birds, a Hawk, a Swallow, a pigeon and an albatross. "There's clearly a bit of a hierarchy going on there."

"How can you tell?" Knuckles asked.

"The Hawk seems to be the one calling the shots. See how the others seem to revere him? If you guys end up tangling with that lot, make sure you take him out first, that way there will be rivalry between the other three, and if you're lucky they'll either scatter or kill each other off."

Blaze looked over her shoulder and motioned to another group from their table. "And them?"

The eyes of both the mentor and the other tributes drifted over to the second group, which composed of a blonde haired male coyote, a young male chipmunk and two rabbits, one much older and with to the teams surprise a cybernetic arm and matching legs. The other one was much younger, no older than twelve, clutching a chao plush toy in her hands as she looked around the crowd nervously.

She was too young to be playing in the games, at least that was Tikal opinion. The other three looked like they could defend themselves, but the little one looked practically defenceless compared to her comrades. However, it was important not to judge only by what the eyes could see. For all she knew the young rabbit was a psychopathic killer underneath her layer of cuteness.

"By the looks of it," Sonic stated, "It looks like the chipmunk is the leader, see how he stands at his tallest? They must be from out of the more closer districts, he certainly doesn't look like he's ever starved."

Just before Knuckles could question Sonic further, a voice reigned out over the room.

"Welcome! Welcome Ladies and gentleman!" said the voice, the tributes looked to where it came from and were met with the sight of an ivory bat, wearing a sparkling purple dress that shone like a jewel. She stood on an elevated balcony above the ball room, where she had a clear view of everyone attending.

"Welcome, to the 105th annual Chaos Ball!" she said and raised her hands into the air as the room filled with a burst of applause various cheers and whistles. Soon she lowered her hands and began to give the gesture for the attention to die down.

"I would like to also give a very warm welcome to our special guests, the Tributes from the twelve districts!" she said and the crowd went back to their previous frenzy. "Now, I would like to welcome the man we have all been waiting to see tonight. He is our Nations great leader, our humble flocks Sheppard in the darkness. Please welcome, President Mephiles!"

An even stronger round of applause went up from the people as a black hedgehog with grey stripes appeared on the balcony, raising a gloved hand to the crowd, a cold smile etched on his expression.

When the crowd died down once more, he lowered his hand and cleared his throat.

"Gathered friends, compatriots and of course; tributes of the twelve districts, it gives me great pleasure to stand before you all once again for the annual Chaos Ball. It is a great honour to stand before you not only as your president, but also as your friend. I see all the bright young faces of the tributes before me," he continued as his eyes scanned over the crowd between the teams.

"and I must say, I have a feeling that this year," his sinister green eyes locked with a pair of red, "will be a very special year." His eyes left those of the black hedgehog of district twelve, an went back to the rest of the room. "In three weeks many of you, I am sad to say, will no longer be among the ranks of the living. However," he raised a finger, "You will go down as one of many of the brave young men and women who have given their life in the name of honour and valour."

The audience did not cheer, but an applause radiated from the crowd, and for some reason Tikal and the others found themselves a part of the applause. All except the black and red hedgehog clapped their hands, his eyes remaining locked on the form of the dark hedgehog on the balcony above.

"Happy Chaos Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour." The president said one last time with his arms raised, before disappearing from the balcony, the cheers of the crowd following him as he went.

When the ball finally returned to its festive state as it had done so before, Knuckles could not help but ask a question. "Shadow?"

The hedgehogs eyes moved to look at the echidna, though his head remained still.

"I know this is a stupid question-"

"There are no such things as stupid questions, only stupid answers." Blaze corrected.

"Um... okay.." he continued, "Well... you aren't related to the President, are you?" he asked.

No response came from his lips, he merely turned and walked away. "You're right that was a stupid question." The heard him say as he disappeared into the crowd.

The three of them, four if you included Sonic, watched him go. Knuckles wasn't complaining about the lack of Shadows company, but he knew he must have struck a chord, and he couldn't help but feel slightly bad about that.

"Maybe I should-" he began.

"No." Stated Tikal, still looking at the direction in which he left in. "I'll go." She said as she too began to disappear into the crowd, leaving both Sonic and Blaze confused, while Knuckles was left with his sympathy for the hedgehog gone, replaced instead by jealousy.

Although many people called out for the hedgehog to come over, he did not break his stride as he continued to make his way through the party. Thankfully, nobody touched him. As much as they loved him as an icon, they knew that he was still a violent individual.

As he was about to get out of the worst of the crowd, a hand found its way onto his shoulder. He stopped to investigate, but the hand moved with its owner across his shoulder towards his neck, before sliding down to his chest.

"Hi there." The stranger said. She was a fox, dark red in colour, wearing an light blue dress, a cut up the side revealing her long, slender, smooth legs, that Shadow had to resist the urge to stare at.

"So you're Shadow huh? I've heard a bit about you. I'm Candy, District 7. You're much more handsome than you are on TV." She complimented as the hand on his chest was replaced with only her index finger, which trailed its way back up to his shoulder.

"Did you want something?" Shadow asked, ignoring the act of seduction the fox was trying to pull.

She gave out a small chuckle. "You could say that." Her finger then slid along his shoulder, and went to scratch him under the chin. "Did you wanna dance?" she asked giving him a wink.

"No." He replied stubbornly, as he tried to push past her, however her hand went back down his chest, stopping his movement.

"Why not? You all ready got a partner? I'm sure they wouldn't mind." She said with a smirk.

"I think I would." A voice spoke up and the two looked to the side to see Tikal standing there with her hands in front of her.

The fox burst into a short fit of laughter. "You?!" she asked and continued laughing. "In your dreams girl, run along now."

"I was just using the bathroom, I'm glad to see that you kept Shadow company." She looked back to the hedgehog. "Shall we dance Shadow?" she asked holding her hand out.

As she hoped he would, he left Candy's side and took her hand, a small smirk of his own on his face.

As she watched the two of them go, Candy could not help but stamp the ground with her foot, causing several people to jump in surprise before she stormed off.

"Thanks." Shadow said as the two of them made their way away from the fox.

"No problem, you looked like you were out of your league anyway." Tikal joked and a small giggle escaped her.

"Yeah, I'll see you later I guess." He said as he slipped his hand out of Tikal's and began to walk away.

"Shadow?" she said, utter bewilderment on her face.

He turned back, confused as to why she looked so surprised.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Somewhere quiet... Why?"

She shifted on the spot, feeling a little awkward. "I uh...thought that you and I were going to..."

A brow raised on the hedgehogs face. "Dance?" he asked, to which she nodded shyly.

Shadow looked at the small crowd that had formed a ring around the main part of the room where most of the dancing was taking place. He could see a few of the other tributes, as well as a number of guests, dancing away with each other to the slow rhythm of the ball room music.

"You know never mind... It's fine." she said as she began to walk away, but a gloved hand found its way into hers, and she turned to see it was Shadows that had made the movement.

He raised his hand, and with it hers, and held it about chest height between them. "Tikal," he said just above a mutter. "Will you do me the honour of this dance?" he asked. His face did not change, no smile found its way to his lips. But that was who he was; he didn't smile.

But she did.

"I would like very much to give that honour." She said, and the two of them began to make their way to join the others in dancing. They slowly navigated through the small crowd that had gathered to watch the numerous couples dance, and many murmurs and whispers went up as Shadow passed by them with Tikal in hand.

The two of them walked out into the space given for the dancers and they just stood, there, neither one entirely sure as to what they should do. Soon enough Shadow held out his hand for Tikal to take, which she did so, to her surprise, without any hesitation, and in a moment Shadow's right hand held Tikal's left, while her right rested on left arm that rest on her waist.

Soon the two of them joined the slow, majestic movement of the crowd, neither of them taking their eyes off the other. Shadow could not help but look at the soft blue centres of her eyes, while she could not look away from his blood red ones, despite their colour she found a certain calmness in them. And at the moment she could think of nowhere else she would rather be, except home of course.

As the two of them continued to dance, almost everyone in the room had by now heard of what was transpiring between the two tributes. Many people were walking over at quick rate to catch a glimpse of the two. However, one of those people was a red echidna, followed in haste by a lavender cat.

When said echidna finally made his way to the front of the crowd who had gathered to watch, his eyes widened with a mix of anger, surprise and what almost seemed like sadness. As he watched the two of them he could not help but feel jealous. He had been Tikal's friend for years, he loved her. And yet here she was dancing with a hedgehog that she had known for little more than a few days.

While it made the echidnas blood boil, Blaze actually had a smile on her face. She was not aware of the feelings that Knuckles had for Tikal. So the sight of her and Shadow dancing just made her think of how much Tikal could change the black hedgehog.

"Uh, excuse me?" a voice said as a hand tapped her on the shoulder.

Blaze turned to find the owner of both the voice and the hand. He was a hedgehog, although his quills were a brilliant white, and in a style that was so ridiculous Blaze nearly giggled just by looking at him.

"I was wondering... did you uh... did you want to dance?" he asked, nervous out of his mind.

It took Blaze a second to respond, considering she knew he was a tribute, and chances were she'd have to kill him. But on top of that the chances were she would never get the opportunity to dance with a handsome man like him ever again.

"Sure." She said and held out her hand which he took, a sudden rush of confidence streaming through him.

Knuckles watched in what was only surprise this time as he watched Blaze walk out onto the dance floor also. Now he knew he was jealous.

"I'm Silver by the way." The hedgehog said as he and Blaze began to dance. "You're Blaze from twelve right?" he asked.

A brow raised on her face at the question. "You know who I am?"

The hedgehog let out a light laugh. "Everybody knows you, you're Blaze from district 12, one of the first tributes to have come to play this game willingly, at least from the outlying districts." His expression softened. "It was a very brave thing you did, coming forward for your friend." He cocked his head to the side, motioning to Tikal and Shadow.

Blaze looked to the side at her friend, and the hedgehog who she guessed she could consider a friend. "Thanks." She looked back to her partner. "What about you? You obviously know about me, but what about you?"

Silver gave a cocky smile. "You sure you wanna know? You know technically I am your enemy."

The cat purred silently, but loud enough for him to hear, as a small blush painted her cheek. "Not right now you're not."

Shadow stepped out of the stuffiness that had become the ball room into the late night air. He strode over and leant against the balcony that looked over what was only a fraction of the city that was New Mobotropolis. He brought a hand up to his face and gave his eyes a rub, he had not slept for a few days.

Every year, a day before the Reaping, he would devote all of his time to hunting and gathering as much as he could for his family, just in case. And after his name had been pulled out of the bowl, he hadn't laid down to rest once. The idea of being around so many people from the capitol... he didn't like it. He didn't trust them. any of them.

The sounds of the party inside flew by him as he heard the door open once more. He could hear the shoes he had heard exit out of the elevator before he walked into the ball room, and the light stride that carried them.

"What?" he asked bluntly.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay, that's all." Tikal responded as she made her way to lean against the balcony beside Shadow, and then there they stood, shoulder to shoulder.

Shadow was surprised that he could handle being so close to her, but he dismissed the revelation and went back to looking over the city.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? I'm surprised more people aren't out here looking at it to." The echidna said with admiration at the sea of darkness dotted with lights that gave indication of just how much life there was before them.

"Hmph." The hedgehog replied, not really wanting to give any kind of compliment to this place.

Tikal's eyes once again settled on Shadow. "Do you ever say anything?" she asked. A slight chill ran up her spine as his red eyes made contact with hers, before looking away once more.

"What's the point in complimenting a city that brought us here for the sole purpose of their entertainment? The way I see it, three weeks of living here is just so we get envious of their lives and become distracted."

"You really hate them. The people of this city, the guards, the President." She looked at him once again. "Why? The games are an invention that is only still there because of the President. Everyone else is just following him. That's not a reason to hate the people."

Shadow sighed. He knew she was right. He had known that all along, it wasn't the peoples fault. But she didn't know what he and his family had been through. She didn't know why he harboured such hate for _their _kind.

"Maybe... maybe someday I'll tell you why." His eyes made their way to look upon her. "But just not today."

A warm smile went across her face as she gave a nod. "I'm ready to listen when you're ready to tell."

Then to both of their surprises, she leaned in and planted her lips on his cheek, which turned almost as red as the stripes in his quills.

"Well I'm heading to our room. Good night Shadow." She said as she began to walk off and walked through the door and back into the crowd, the black hedgehogs eyes following her as she went.

Once she was gone he raised a hand to his cheek, and felt where he lips had made contact with his face. And to his own shock, he had liked the way they had felt.

"In all my years," a voice said, causing Shadow to jump and raise his guard. "I never expected to see you flustered. Especially from a girl." The hedgehog said as he walked out of the darkness of the far side of the balcony, his grey stripes revealing themselves in the soft light, along with quills that matched Shadows style.

"Mephiles." Shadow growled in anger, but he lowered his guard and stood there eyeing the older hedgehog.

"Come now Shadow, is that how we are going to greet each other _every _time?" he said with a sinister chuckle.

"I'd prefer it if we never greeted each other." The younger Mobian spat.

Mephiles sighed and strode past the black hedgehog to stand where Tikal had stood next to him moments ago. "I thought you'd be happy to know that all of the cameras and bugs in you and your friends rooms have been removed."

A brow raise on Shadows complexion. "Why would you care?"

The head of the older Mobian shook from side to side. "You know," he began changing the subject, "If you win this, you have the option to remain here in the city. The life you wanted."

Shadow pushed himself off of the balcony, ready to leave. "That dream died the day she did." He said as he began to move off.

A growl escaped the elder man as he turned to watch Shadow leave. "For Christ sake Shadow! Just because **you're** playing this game does not mean I had any hand in this. Bastard or not you're still my son."

The Black hedgehog turned back and shot a murderous glare at the Mobian man, but soon his face changed back to the same emotionless demeanour it usually was.

"You're not my father. You're just the man who slept with my mother. If you really loved her, or me, then you would have at least had the decency to come to her funeral." He said, finishing his words with the man before walking away, leaving the President to his own thoughts. To his own mistakes.

**_Arena Master- I think you might be right my friend *all-knowing wink*_**

**_Brookdalebunny- good god I hope not!_**

**_Toxic the hedgehog- Well he didn't kill him, but what do ya think?_**

**_Wasabiissohot- Your wish is my command!_**


	7. In three weeks

"In three weeks, forty-four of you will be dead." The large figure said as he paced in front of the forty-eight young Mobians that stood in a crescent shaped line. The Mobian who was in charge of training them, a large hulking gorilla named Simian, continued to walk in front of them occasionally stopping to glare at one of the tributes, most of whom did not deliver his gaze.

_He's trying to intimidate us. _Knuckles thought to himself. _Trying to prove that he is the one in charge. Clever enough I suppose._

"For the next few weeks myself and the other trainers will be doing our best to ensure that you survive, or at least put on a good show." He said with a chuckle. He stopped in front of the tributes of twelve. He turned to face them, eyeing each of them. "It doesn't matter how tough, or how scary you look, your training is going to determine who will live and who will die."

Knuckles felt that the 'How scary you look' comment was directed at Shadow who stood next to him. As much as he disliked to admit it, Shadow's appearance spooked the echidna just a little bit. It was not often you found a Mobian with his colours, and the red and the black did quite well for intimidation.

If their survival was dependant solely on how scared you could make your opponent, Shadow could win just by staring at his enemy long enough.

"Now, a number of exercises will be set up around the room, you may go and use these at your discretion. Hell, you don't even have to do anything if you don't want to, it just means you're either really confident, or really stupid. Also, there is to be no fighting amongst yourselves, We don't want any of the teams to be down a man _before _the games start. Now get moving!" the gorilla said with a huff and he walked off

The tributes all broke off, each heading to a different part of the room.

Knuckles and the other stuck back, however Shadow moved off towards one of the sparing rings.

"Well saw that one coming." Knuckles muttered, but the others heard it, and Blaze just looked at him confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The echidna shook his head dismissively. "Nothing. Come on, we better get started."

None of them objected, however Knuckles noticed that before she started moving, Tikal could not take her eyes off of the hedgehog as he walked away. And quite frankly, neither could he, although it wasn't a caring look that sat in his eyes.

Swords, bows, knives, spears, axes. None of them caught Shadow's eye. Sure each of them were in good condition, well kept and sharp. They all looked balanced enough too. However none of them had that feeling. That calling that made Shadow know that that was the weapon that was going to serve him when they got out there. When the games began.

A sound from around the corner caused his ears to raise, and he looked over his shoulder only to see a pair of long ears retreat behind the corner. Whatever it was it didn't matter. However some snickering off to the side did grab his attention.

A purple weasel, and a yellow, purple haired mongoose were all throwing glances over at him. And they weren't the friendly kinds.

Shadow was prepared to waltz on over there and was ready to hand them their-

"Don't mind them." another voice said and Shadow looked back to his left to see the hawk who stood beside him browsing through the weapon racks.

His feathers were an emerald green, they were spiked at the back. His blue eyes looked from the weapons over to the black hedgehog, and a small smile appeared on his face, or beak, Shadow wasn't sure how to describe it.

"Jet." He said offering his hand.

Red eyes stared at the hand for a second before glancing back to the weapons. "Shadow."

The Hawk pulled his hand back and returned to looking at the weapons himself. "I saw what you did at the reaping." He let out a small chuckle. "You sure taught the guards a thing or two."

"Is there something you want? Or are You just trying to annoy me?" the darker hedgehog snapped.

"Chill out man, I'm just trying to make conversation. I knew you were grumpy but jeez." He said raising his hands open to try and bring back a level of calm. "Jeez, I don't see you getting all grouchy at that cute echidna chick."

Shadow's head snapped to the side, his ears flattened and he just glared at the bird. "What's that supposed to mean?" he growled.

A small smirk went across Jet's lips. "I think you know perfectly what I mean." He pointed to his light blue eyes, their centres shrinking slightly. "Eyes of an eagle my friend, I see all and know al."

"You're a hawk." Shadow corrected bluntly.

"Hawk, eagle, falcon. Does it matter?" the bird asked with a smile.

He looked over his shoulder to where Knuckles, Blaze and Tikal stood, the male echidna helping them both with lifting weights. At the same time. "You should tell her how you feel. It's obvious enough for me, surely it should be obvious to the media. I'm sure you two would make a great T.V couple."

Shadow took a step forwards, fists clenched. However from the corner of his eye he saw all of the attention he just got just by thinking of attacking Jet, from the other teams and from the guards.

"You may like to think otherwise, but until we are out there in the arena, you can't touch me." Jet's eyes scanned the room until he spotted a pair of tributes from the same team sparing in the center of the room, sword on sword, the blades clashing in a symphony of striking steel. "There is something you could do though." He looked back to Shadow who was still resisting the urge to strike him. "We duel, if I win, you have to tell the girl. If you win, I'll never bother you again." He held out his hand once more. "At least not for three weeks."

Shadow glared at the hand for the second time, his expression softened and this time he took it and the two shook hands solidly, sealing the wager. "You're on."

"Sweet!" Jet replied positively and without missing a beat he grabbed a sword off of the rack and made his way over to the centre of the room.

Shadow however had a problem. He still didn't know which weapon would serve him well. Swords were all well and good, however he did not want something that would restrict him moving if it was at his side or on his back. Spears was okay, only they would not work well if you got too close. Bows were out of the question.

However as he quickly scanned the rack for weapons he found something that really caught his eyes.

It was a pair of brass knuckles, black padding with silver like metal.

He was not sure why, but he took it and slipped them on on anyway. He flexed his hands and fingers, surprising himself at how comfortable it felt. As menacing as they were they didn't look like some kind of weapon that would help him against a sword.

But as he continued to rotate his wrist, he pressed what felt like a small pressure plate, from out of each metallic knuckle extended three jagged blades almost as long as his forearm. Their edges were forged to be jagged and menacing, looking like it designed for shredding through whatever came in its path.

Shadow looked onto their gleaming surface and smirked at the hedgehog he saw, who smiled back at him. "You'll do." He said to his new partner.

Searing pain. Knuckles said that it mean you were getting stronger. For Blaze it felt more like uprooting a hundred year old tree.

"How the hell... do you lift these things Knux?" she growled between clenched teeth as she lifted the weights above her body. She was lifting at least one and a half times her own body weight. She was decently strong, she had climbed trees for years and that involved having to lift her own weight hundreds of times.

Tikal however got it much easier, only lifting about half her weight. However she wasn't that strong, having only spent her life gathering rather than the exercises that Blaze went through while climbing, and the strengthening that Knuckles went through.

"I've had to get used to it. Only I've had years while you only have a few weeks. Now come on give me three more." He practically ordered.

"It feels like my muscles are being torn open." Tikal protested as she struggled to lift her load one more time.

"Well in a way they are." Knuckles commented, which was true, but it was also a mistake.

At hearing this Tikal shrieked and scrambled off her back and off of the bench. Without her there to hold them the weights fell straight back onto the bench before they rolled off and struck the ground.

The red echidna sighed and brought his palm to his face. Part of him was disappointed in himself for not thinking about what he was going to say. But then he was also a little upset that Tikal had acted the way she did, now most of the other Tributes exchanging giggles and jokes.

"Sorry." Tikal said with her hands behind her back, kicking at the ground.

"Tikal, if you show signs of-"

He was interrupted when they heard a cheer go off around the room, and all of a sudden nearly all of the guards and the tributes were gathered around a single sparing ring. They could hear the sound of metal striking metal, it was loud enough to carry over the jeers and shouts that came from the gathered audience. So someone was fighting, only question was: Who?

A brow raised on Knuckles' face. "I didn't think we were allowed to fight other tributes." He brought up

"Well whoever it is they certainly attracted a crowd." Blaze added as they too began to make their way over.

Blades struck against one another once more as Shadow held Jet's sword locked between both sets of claws. The two now glared at each other. Shadow had thought that his strength alone would be able to defeat the hawk, but his opponent was a better fighter than what he had anticipated.

The pair of them now struggled to fight against the others strength as they both tried to force themselves upon each other. The Guards were trying to fight their way through the crowd of Tributes to break up the fighting. However the crowd held together, determined not to let their entertainment be ruined.

"We need to stop this now." Shadow growled at the Hawk.

"Why? Afraid that you'll lose? Coward?" Jet replied with a sinister smirk.

Teeth baring, Shadow growled and swept Jet's legs out from under him, sending him to the floor. The bird expected Shadow to lunge on him then and there, and kill him before the games truly began.

But instead the hedgehog just stood there with his claws exposed before they shot back into their retreats in the metal knuckles. "We'll finish this some other time." Shadow said before he began to make his way out of the sparing ring, the crowd and even the guards parting for him.

As he made his way through the tributes, he spotted in their midst Tikal and the others who just watched him go. He pulled his gaze away from them and strode over to the weapon racks where he removed the knuckles.

"Shadow?" a voice spoke behind him. Instantly he knew who it was.

"What do you want Tikal?" he replied bitterly.

"What was that about? you looked like you wanted to kill the bird. Are you-"

"I'm fine!" Shadow shouted as he turned to face the echidna who backed away looking hurt.

With a growl Shadow stormed off for the doors, some of the guards were going to question why he was leaving but they backed off as soon as they saw the look on his face. They had heard what he had done on the news, and they didn't want to be the next to make headlines.

Tikal meanwhile just watched as the hedgehog walked off and burst through the doors and out of the training room.

"Are you okay?" Knuckles asked from behind.

"I'm fine." Tikal said, but she knew that it was a lie.

**_Yeah I know, really short chapter. But I wanted to get something out tonight, I've left it for so long with all of the assessments I've had. I guess that's what happens at the end of the year. Either way hoped you liked reading what was here, and I will see you all soon._**

**_Also be sure to check out my other story, Of Shadows, an Elder Scrolls Fanfic, I plan to get back to updating that pretty soon._**


	8. The apology

Over the next week Shadow was very distant from the rest of his team, from everybody in fact. When he trained he did so alone, and whenever he was around the 12 team's apartment he would just disappear into his room. He appeared only briefly at meals. Any attempt of conversation with him was wasted as he would just pick up his plate and leave, only returning later to put it in the sink.

Knuckles wasn't too worried, he got to interact with the hedgehog less and he got to have some more time with Tikal, sometimes without Blaze there.

Blaze wasn't sure how she felt about Shadow. She knew that he was brave, and that he was determined to win the games. However she could not help but feel worried if he was willing to go as far as she feared he could to win.

Sonic didn't care, he just kept on enjoying what was available to him in the Capitol.

Tikal seemed to be the only one who was worried for the black hedgehogs well being. She knew that he was silent, but he had at least on occasion talked to her if not the others. And now he refused to talk at all, as if his power of speech had been removed.

After a week of silence between himself and the team, Shadow found himself in the training room, alone. It was open at all hours for tributes, however most were either too tired, too lazy or too confident that they had done enough during the day. But not him.

He knew that every second the hour glass of his three weeks was running out. He knew that if he was going to get home he would have to hone his strength into skill, and become capable of using that skill to take life. As much as he hated to admit it, he hated the idea of taking life. He had already seen enough death.

He stood in the centre of a small circle, one by one all around him training dummies would pop up, and be instantly hit back down by his fists which flew around him like a dark tornado. He was wearing a black shirt and track pants with a red streak on both and a large 12 on his back. He knew that the colours matched his fur, but he did not have a choice in the matter. It was the standard training attire for every tribute.

One hour had passed since he had started the exercise, and now he was starting to feel it. He readied himself to go again but stopped as he heard a slow, almost sarcastic clap on the other side of the room. He glanced over to the sight of the figure walking towards him.

"Well I knew you were tough, but I never thought you'd be that fast." the white hedgehog said as he approached, wearing a similar outfit to Shadow, only a large 5 on his back.

Shadow did not reply and began to move off towards a punching bag and began to strike its surface.

"Well you're a little ray of sunshine aren't you? Are you at least going to say hello before telling me to piss of?" Silver asked.

Shadow stoped striking the bag and looked at him for a second. "Hello. Go away." He replied bluntly before returning to delivering blows against his foe.

A small chuckle escaped Silver before he came closer and took his place behind another punching bag. "You know," he said as he too began to began to strike. "I saw what happened between you and Tikal last week. I gotta say, it was kind of harsh."

The hedgehogs punching bag stopped moving and just looked at the other hedgehog. "What does it matter to you? You're the one who has to kill her in two weeks."

Silver smirked and ceased his punches.

"Fair enough. It's just... she seems to be the only one who comes anywhere close to liking you. She was the one who asked you to dance after all, not to mention the little peck she gave you." Silver knew he had chosen his words poorly as Shadow's eyes began to narrow.

"If you say anything-"

"You'll what? Kill me? You have to do it any way! Why not start now!" Silver shouted in frustration before striking his punching bag sending it flying into the air for a few seconds before gravity forced it back down to hang on its chain. He sighed and looked back at the surprised Shadow. "You're not the only one with a sister to get back to." He said more calmly.

Shadow could not help but feel a pang of regret. "It's just... if people find out about what is going on between us it could make her a target to get to me." He explained as he made his way to sit at bench against the wall.

The white hedgehog nodded and sat beside him. "It's understandable. I suppose I should do the same for Blaze." He said, and Shadow's eyes widened in a bit of surprise. "Yeah I know. But I can't help it. When I saw her there... I suppose my heart just skipped a beat." He glanced to the side at the black hedgehog with a smirk on his face. "Was it the same for you with Tikal?"

Shadow's head snapped to the side to glare at Silver, but soon his expression softened and he looked down at his feet. "Yes. I suppose so." He looked back at his hands which were sore from his hour of training. "She... she saved my sister's life. And she is the only one who has shown me any kindness since the reaping. I can't help but feel the need to care for her."

A gloved hand rested on Shadow's shoulder. "If anything you should tell her that. At least let her know that you don't want to see her hurt."

"I can't." He replied shaking his head. "I can't take that risk."

Silver removed his hand and shrugged. "It's up to whatever you think is best. But promise me something: If you do win, please make sure that Blaze is a champion with you."

Silence settled over the two of them for a minute, Shadow unsure whether he could keep such a promise. But all the same he replied.

"I promise."

"Thank god for that." Silver said with a chuckle before getting up. "Night Shadow, and get some sleep, you look like you need it." He said before moving off.

A deep breath entered Shadow's lungs. "Silver."

The white hedgehog stopped and turned to look at him.

"For what it's worth, I wish we weren't enemies."

A smile crossed Silver's lips. "We're not. Think of us as rivals, that way we can still be friends." He said before walking off and exiting out the door, leaving Shadow on his own, with a choice to make.

Tikal was awakened from her sleep by knocking at her door, and she reluctantly picked herself up to answer it, her nightgown flowing behind her. She guessed that it was probably Knuckles, he'd been waking her and Blaze up numerous times the past week to get an early start. If anything the red echidna seemed to enjoy seeing her in her not-so revealing sleepwear.

As she opened the door she had already prepared her pathetic excuse to not get up.

"It's been three days in a ro-" she stopped herself as she knew that it was a hedgehog, not an echidna that stood in the doorway in front of her. "Shadow? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong, I just... I wanted to say sorry."

"Sorry?" she said with a confused look on her face.

"For the I say snapped last week. It wasn't necessary, you were just trying to be nice. I'm also sorry for neglecting you and the others as well. We're a team, and I haven't been a very god member of that team." His gaze shifted to the ground. "I understand if you don't accept my-"

"Shadow." Spoke her soft, sweet voice.

His eyes raised up her form to gaze into her light blue eyes.

"Apology accepted." She said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, a warm smile on her face, and Shadow found himself smiling as well. "How about some breakfast?" she asked.

"That would be nice." The hedgehog replied and the two of them made their way out of the halls of their apartment and out to the kitchen, walking close enough to know that they were friends, but not so far apart to suggest that there wasn't something more.

**_Another incredibly short chapter I know, but I wanted to write this to act as something of an apology for writing the last one so poorly, hopefully you enjoyed it, and don't worry, soon the games will really begin._**

**_May the odds be ever in your favour._**

**_-xcaliber _**


	9. The interview

"No!" Knuckles refused.

"Why not?" Blaze inquired

"Because!"

"Because what?"

"Because we already had to dress up once!"

"It's not that bad."

The tributes of 12 were gathered in their apartment, Knuckles stood off to the side with his arms crossed stubbornly, whilst Blaze, Tikal and Shadow all sat on a large red sofa.

Elise had delivered the news that they would be having another chance to wear their suits and dresses. Much to their disgust. They were to appear on television and be interviewed by the Capitol's Master of Ceremonies, Rouge the bat.

Knuckles out of the four of them not only disliked the idea, he loathed it. He hadn't minded being cleaned and being made to smell like a patch of wildflowers. But it had been just stretch for him to even be put into a suit.

"Knuckles it'll only be for a about ten minutes. It's not that long." Tikal tried to reason.

A growl escaped Knuckles before bursting out his argument. "Ten minutes is too long."

No one was sure why, but Sonic contributed. "It has nothing to do with what you want. They're going to be thrown you on that stage one way or another. Heck if you wanted you could walk onto that stage in a leotard singing walking on sunshine the entire interview if you wanted. But it's how you dress and how you act that are what'll get you the sponsors."

"And if we want to win," Shadow offered, "we need those sponsors."

"Exactly." confirmed Tikal.

The echidna was either deciding between his options or thinking of another way to get out of it. However he sighed in defeat. "Fine. But only because we have a better chance of winning!" he insisted.

"Well then you better get ready," Sonic said getting out of his seat, "the car will be around to pick us up to take us to the studio in an hour."

_How the hell do they do these things?_ Shadow thought to himself as he starred into the mirror. The last time he had to wear a tie the people who gave him the suit had done it up for him. He now stood in his room attempting tie the piece of clothing around his neck, and was failing. There was no one to help this time and he was ready to cut the tie into pieces out of minor confusion.

He growled as he did it wrong once more and ripped it off from around his collar.

"Why the hell won't you work properly?" he asked the limp, lifeless piece fabric in his hands.

"Asking it isn't going to help." He jerked in surprise as he looked to the source of the voice. In the doorway, silhouetted by the light from the hall way stood an echidna. Shadow thought for a second that it was Knuckles, but as he took in the figure's features he knew that if Knuckles didn't like wearing a suit, then he would die before he wore a dress.

"You're doing it wrong." Tikal said as she approached, her features becoming more visible as she approached. Her dress was different to that which she wore to the ball. Her new one was pink bordering on the colour of lavender and descended to the floor past her ankles.

She took the tie from his hands and reached over his head and his wild quills and began to do up his tie herself.

"My father usually needs help as well, but not as much as you do." She said with a giggle.

Shadow gave a small smirk himself. He couldn't help but notice just how beautiful she was looking. He knew that he had noticed it before, but this was the first time he really acknowledged it for what it was. As she continued to go through the steps of tying, he couldn't help but ask a question, what that had been bugging for a week.

"Tikal, that night at the ball..."

Her eyes raised from the tie to meet with his. "Yes?"

"When I was out on the balcony, and you came out... why did you..." he trailed off, unable to make himself ask her the question.

Her eyes went back down to the tie, and she was silent for a few seconds as she tightened it up to his neck. "I came out to check on you because I was-"

"Tikal," he cut her off, placing his hands on top of hers. "That's not what I meant. Why did... why did you kiss me?"

The two of them stood in silence for a minute, Shadow wanting to hear an answer and Tikal wanting to give said answer, but unable to find the words.

"I... I guess I did it because I..." she laughed to herself softly and averted her eyes in embarrassment. "I don't know why. I just... did." Her eyes crept back up Shadow's figure before meeting with his eyes again. "Were you okay with it?"

Shadow's heart started pounding in his chest. He was unsure how he felt about it, he could not complain about it but he was unsure whether it was something to be happy about. And having her this close and his hands on hers, just made his mind all the more confused.

"I... I cannot lie, I didn't mind it." He said, as a smile crept onto his face.

The same smile appeared on Tikal's face. However she found herself doing something she did not expect. She found that her face was edging closer to his, and remarkably, he was doing the same. As the two of them began to get closer and closer, both of their hearts started to beat faster, and they found their eyes closing as they prepared for what they were about to do.

However a knock at the door caused them both to jump as they heard Blaze's voice from around the corner of the doorway. "Hey are you guys in there? Car's almost here." She asked.

"Yes, I'm just helping Shadow with his tie." Tikal confirmed, sounding almost hasty to answer.

They hear blaze laugh from outside. "I'll believe you. Well hurry up." Her footsteps begin to fade away as she leaves and once again Shadow and Tikal are alone.

"I-" she begins before "We'll talk when we come back. Okay?"

"Agreed." He says, giving a nod in reply.

Tikal tries gives a smile and walks out of the room, the eyes of the black hedgehog following her as she went. She stopped and looked back to him. "Well? Are you coming?" she asked.

"Yeah. Let's go." He said as he followed her out.

_"Ladies and gentlemen please raise your voices and give a warm welcome to your Official Master of Ceremonies: _**_Rouge the Bat!_**_" _the voice announced and the crowd went wild as the stage lights revealed a white bat sitting on large soft chair wearing a sparkling red dress.

"Hello! Hello ladies and gentlemen! It is a thrill to have you here again, it really is. However, tonight we have not one, not two, not three not even ten! We have forty eight guests tonight! The forty eight tributes of the twelve districts. So let's get started because we have a lot to get through. Please welcome our first guests, the team of District 1!"

Over the next hour or so Rouge talked with each team individually, only stopping a few times for a commercial break. Most of the interviews were all the same, same questions and all similar answers. Questions like: How does it feel to represent your district? And questions about how they intended to win without giving away too much.

For the entire time the members of team 12 waited patiently in one of the green rooms.

Blaze couldn't stop shaking, she hated crowds and hated speaking in front of them.

Knuckles didn't mind crowds, but he continued to fidget nervously anyway.

Whilst Tikal and Shadow sat away from each other. Occasionally one of them would glance at the other but looked away. They had not said anything about what had almost happened back at the apartment. They knew that explanations had to wait.

After an hour of waiting Sonic finally came in to the green room, a small smile on his face.

"Time for your close ups." He said and motioned for them to get up.

They made their way up the stairs to side stage, where they heard the audience going wild in anticipation that the most talked about team was about to come on stage.

Sonic walked up and stood beside them. "Remember, you gotta make sure you make an impression. Be likable, be funny. Make sure they remember each of you. That's what's going to get the sponsors." He looked out onto the stage and nodded. "Just be thankful you guys are popular at the moment."

On stage Rouge stood from her seat and waved the previous tributes off. "Ah and there they go, team 11 everybody!" she said raising her hands and the crowd went wild. "Alright. Now, they are one of the most talked about teams in the competition. Three volunteers who stood up on their own free will to be chosen. And one of them fought off several guards to protect another." The crowd was now going ballistic with excitement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the tributes from district 12, Blaze the cat! Knuckles and Tikal the Echidnas and Shadow the hedgehog!"

One by one team 12 made their way onto the stage whilst the audience went mad for them. Each of them took a seat near Rouge, with Blaze closest and Shadow the farthest. They waited for a minute or so for the crowd to die down, all the while taking in just how many people were really watching them.

When they finally settled down Rouge gave a small laugh and focused her attention on the four of them.

"I must say that's about the best these people have gotten all evening. And I have to admit I'm actually feeling a little flustered myself, I've been waiting all week to meet you four."

"Oh I'm sure it was just me." Knuckles joked and a wave of laughter erupted from the crowd. He knew what he was doing.

"Ha! I'm sure that is the reason. Now, when the three of you volunteered, what was going through your heads? Did you feel that it was an obligation?"

"We had made a deal a few years back," Blaze began and the others were surprised that she had the courage to say anything. "We agreed that if one of our names were ever chosen, then we would all volunteer."

"And why is that?"

"We've been friends since we were little kids," Knuckles answered, "It felt right that if one of us had to play in the games, then all of us should be there to protect each other."

The audience gave an "Aww" at this, and it was all too obvious that their hearts just melted at the idea.

"What about you Shadow? Were you a part of this little group?" Rouge enquired.

"No." Shadow answered simply and remaining silent before Tikal spoke up.

"I volunteered to help Shadow's sister Maria, I don't know why but it just felt right." She said, not seeing the hidden glare that Shadow was giving her.

"So Marie WAS your sister after all, Shadow?"

"Her name is Maria. And yes she is my sister."

"How charming! Which brings me to my next question: Shadow," she said as her attention was diverted to him. "when your name was announced, did you have that same urge to fight and get away as you showed when Maria was selected?"

"No. I knew that it would be pointless. All I could do was accept what had happened and make my way up the stage." He answered.

"Then why did you do it for Maria?"

Shadow leaned forward in his seat and sighed. "Have you ever had something taken from you?"

"Well the ex took my favourite painting." She said and smiled at the audience who laughed at her humour.

"Then you don't know what it's like." He looked out at the audience. "Do any of you know what it is like? to have someone you love torn away from you and given, what is all respects, a death sentence?" No one said a word, and now all eyes, the audience, Rouge and his team's were on him.

"Of course you don't. None of you have had to go through that, just because you were lucky enough to be born in this city. So now you just need to sit back and grow fat and lazy with the comforts that you need. And all you do is sit and watch the games not as a some tradition that's meant to punish the districts, but as a sport."

Rouge tried to intervene. "I think we are getting a little off track here-"

"No. I'm exactly on track. The one that leads to the end of this interview." He abruptly stood and began to walk away. "I'm out of here." He said finally before disappearing back stage.

The audience had been left gobsmacked at his exit. They had expected the ultimate bad ass with the attitude to go with it. But still retaining enough of that attitude to stop him from walking out of the room.

Knuckles was silently furious. As much as he hated to admit it, Shadow was the most liked one on the team. And with that he was the one who would have gotten them the sponsors. Blaze had certainly been shocked with him, but she wasn't sure how to feel with him leaving.

Tikal however understood perfectly. Shadow's sister was a sensitive subject for him. He hadn't told her yet, but she knew he had a hatred for the people of the capitol. She hadn't found out what yet. But she at least hoped that she would soon.

After a slightly awkward interview, Tikal and the others returned to the green room to find Shadow sitting on one of the couches.

Before Tikal could say anything Knuckles shoved past her and put his face right in the hedgehog's.

"What the hell was that?!" he shouted in Shadow's face, but he did not flinch. "Are you trying to get us all killed?! We need them to like us!"

"You need to get out of my face." Shadow replied calmly.

"I'll get out of your face when you stop being such dumbass, and stop ruining our chances of winning!"

Shadow stood and face the Echidna at full height, "Back off." He said calmly.

"Make me." Knuckles said, his fists clenched in readiness.

"Both of you cut it out!" Blaze snapped as she got between them both. "Knuckles, chill out." She said pointing over to a chair further away. Knuckles reluctantly backed away as Blaze turned to Shadow.

"Look, I don't know what got into you, but you need to learn that we need to work together, and we need to get those people to like us."

"If you've got that much of a problem with me, then maybe I shouldn't be part of the team." Shadow snapped, causing all eyes to widen.

"What are you saying Shadow?" Tikal asked stepping forward to stand beside him.

"Once we're in the arena and the countdown ends, I'm out of here. The three of you are on your own. I'll win the Chaos Games by myself if I have to."

**_Say it isn't so Shadow! Hey guys sorry for a bit of a wait, been a bit busy with some other writing, not to mention the last of my school assessments this year, and I'll have a month of free time during my break so there'll be plenty of more chapters to come!_**

**_See you soon! _**

**_-xcaliber_**


	10. One Day

**Hey guys, its been a while since i last wrote a chapter, but I've just been a bit busy. Now I'm on holiday, and I'm going to try and devote most of my time to writing. I love this story. You guys clearly like this story. So I'm gonna finish it. **  
**This chapter, and probably this story I dedicate to Sarah, for making me believe that I can write and finish a story that people will love.**  
**(P.S I'm using an i-pad and for some reason the grammar check won't work so forgive any mistakes.)**

One day. a lot could be done in one day. Weapons could be trained with. Muscles could be pushed to greater limits. Feet could hit the ground faster. A new tactic could be practised between a team. Several speices of plants could be identified as well as their properties. There were many things that could be done in one day. However Tikal spent her last day doing nothing.

She just sat there in the apartment, staring out yonder to the lush green landscape that sat beyond the city. Past those hills and farmland. Past the thick pine forests. Over the snow tipped mountains and into the valley. That was where her home laid. Waiting for her to return home. A home that she yearned to see, to be with her father and to walk in the forests and gather food. A home that she would not return to. All because of Shadow.

With Shadow their chances of winning had at least made the team hopeful. But now that fient spark of light had fizzled out, and now tikal sat on her backside waiting for what was to come. Was it really because she had no hope? Or was it because of Shadow in general?

"_Once we're in that arena and the countdown ends, I'm out of here."_ he had said to them. His gaze had directed to Tikal, who saw the inferno that burned behind his eyes. "_The three of you are on your own._"

As the memory looped over and over before her eyes, tears began to roll down her cheek. Because alongside that memory floated the image of what had transpired between them before they had left the apartment. They had almost...

She shook the thought out of her head. What that action wold have represented was long gone now. There would be no knock on the door to say that he was sorry. There would be no assisting him with his tie. There would be nothing. He was gone, And with him the spark of hope and happiness that had only recently illuminated the dark cold reality that was her part of the Chaos Games.

Left slash, right slash, double slash, double stab. It was a basic enough combination, combining the hedgehogs unescapable speed with the deadly razor edge of his knuckle claws. It would do in a close up situation and if he had the element of surprise or at least some kind of advantage on his opponent. But his concern was what he would do if his opponents were not that close, and they had the upper hand.

Shadow looked over his shoulder at the sounds of thudding as arrows met their mark on the targets with deadly precision from the hand of an aqua coloured hedgehog. He stood at least fifty to sixty meters from his targets, and yet he hit them with dead point acuracy. He was what Shadow was worried about. Someone with that kind of skill at range could make short work of him and his claws. Depending on the design of the arena of course, if it were an open tundra the black hedgehog might as well have had an arrow in him already.

With skill like that, Shadow's claws would mean nothing. Deciding that it was best to not think on any of that until later, he returned to his practice.  
Each strike was getting stronger, faster and the skill behind each movement were now as sharp as the claws themselves. As he continued to go through possible moves in his head, a figure approached from behind.

Shadow heard them coming, he could hear the light padding of their shoes striking the ground, he heard them breathing at a slow steady pace through their mouth.  
He could hear their sword slicing through the air and in defense Shadow dropped to crouch before spinning on his heel, claws lined with the figures throat.

A sinister smile grew on the strangers face. He was a hedgehog, his quills a deep emerald green with a pair of sapphire blue eyes where a look of satisfaction sat. His sword rested at his side after his attempted swing, and now the two of them just glared at each other.

"Not bad, looks like I'll actually have to try when we're in the arena." the stranger said as he just stood there grinning.  
Shadows eyes darted to the number on the hedgehogs gear, 1. He was a career, tributes trained at an academy who compete to take part in the games. Sonic had mentioned that almost every year it would be either districts 1 or 2 walking out of the arena alive, and on occasion the whole team would walk out.

"what do you want?" shadow asked calmly, knowing that if anyone was getting impaled it would be his opponent seeing as his caws were already lined with the hedgehogs throat.

"Nothing now, I just wants to see what I was up against. Anyone who could best a bird from 2 must be worth taking a look at." he said, talking about Jet the other week. He held out his free hand and offered it to Shadow. "I'm Scourge."

Shadow had no idea why, but he retracted his claws and took the hogs hand. "Shad-" he began before Scourge dropped his sword and went for the black hedgehogs arm, throwing him over his head.

For a few seconds Shadow flew through the air, nothing but utter shock going through his mind before impacting into a weapon stand with a loud metallic crash. He went to pick himself up, but the weight of the stand on his back was too great, and he swore as he saw a small pool of blood slowly appear next to him. One of the swords had cut into his side.

He looked up and saw Scourge approach, sword in hand, chuckling as he came. "Never mind what I said, I suppose I won't have to bother with you anyway." he began to raise his weapon, readying to skewer Shadow. "It's a pity you broke it off with the echidna, I would have liked to see what would happen if she found your sorry ass lying in front of your apartment. Oh well."

As he brought his arm back Shadow saw the face of a white hedgehog on the blades edge, and he closed his eyes as he prepared meet that face in the other world. But the strike never came.

Shadow opened his eyes to see Scourge with his sword still primed to strike, though the grin on his face was gone.

"I'd advise that you lower your weapon there sir. Until the pass of one more day you are to have no quarrel with the dark one." said a voice, thought he accent was unlike anything Shadow had heard. It was then he noticed the aqua quills from behind Scourge, and a raised bow with an arrow drawn.

"Back off buddy, this doesn't concern you." Scourge threatened as his grip on the sword tightened.

"Nay I'm afraid." the stranger refused. "I will not allow you to bring further harm. I'd advise that you end this illegal action before I must commit the same."

A savage growl escaped the emerald hedgehog, but he didn't make a move. Soon however he dropped his weapon casually and slowly walked off, his grid appearing once again.

"I suppose I'll have to wait, at least of now. Watch yourself Shadow, I'm not the only one who wants your head." he's said laughing before turning on his heel mid stride and exiting the room silently.

Once the archer was sure that Scourge was gone he removed the arrow from the bowstring and slung the bow over his shoulder. He slowly walked over to the weapon rack that rested on top of Shadow, along with the many razor points of weapons that threatened to bite out at both hedgehogs.

"Hmm, now this is a predicament." the aqua one thought out loud. "I am uncertain whether my strength alone will be able to remove this."

A sigh escaped Shadow as he struggled with the feeling of six inches of steel resting in his side.

"Are you saying you're not even going to try?" he struggled saying.

"heavens no! I'm just saying that it would be easier with a third member, even one of minimal strength would prove useful." he shook his head. "But I suppose we will have to make do with just-"

"Excuse me?" a soft voice spoke up and the archer glanced to the side at the peach echidna that approached. "Is everything all... Oh my god, Shadow!" Tikal shouted with a tone that suggested fear. She ran over and knelt By the hedgehogs side.

"Are you alright? What happened? Oh my god you're god you're bleeding!" she said as her hands went over her mouth in shock.

Shadow however remained silent, both due to the pain that burned his side and the refusal to say a word to her. What he could not stop doing however was looking into her sapphire eyes, glad to be able to gaze into them once again.  
"Madam," the aqua hedgehog asked. "if you would not mind, could you help me remove this from your friend." he said calmly.

"Yes, yes of course." she replied before turning back to Shadow, ready to tell him he'd be fine but she felt it best to save that.

The two of them took their positions by the rack and the hedgehog, whose name was still unknown to the other two, counted down to three. On the third count the two of them slowly raised the weapon rack from Shadows body, both of them straining with effort. After a few seconds the shelving was finally removed and standing upright once more.

As soon as it was back up Tikal rushed back to Shadows side, trying to avert her eyes from ever increasing pool of blood that gre on the floor bside him.

"we need to get him a doctor." the archer said as he examined the wounds.  
Tikal's eyes darted to the side by a table that was lined with a variety of bowls and plates.

It was a station that had been set up to teach the tributes about different herbs and berries and their properties.

"No, help me get him over to those tables." she said as she took hold under shadow's arm. The two of them dragged him across the floor over to the tables, a sickening trail of blood following them as they went.  
With almost as much effort as it took to remove the shelving, the two of them helped Shadow up onto the table, a large dark patch on his shirt.

Tikal moved away from the others and scanned the table for what she was looking for. From the collection of bowled herbs and berries she pulled out two in particular: a green going blue herb that had been crushed up and some bright orange berries.

She made her way back to Shadow. "Alright, get his shirt off." she ordered the archer who complied willingly, pulling the black hedgehog's shirt up his body and over his head, revealing the stark white chest fur on his upper body, as well as the well defined muscles that made up his abdominals.

Tikal picked a handful of berries out of the bowl. And held them in front of shadows mouth. "I need you to eat these, swallow as much of the juice as you can. It will help with the pain." she said and slowly Shadow opened his mouth, revealing the fierce looking canines he possessed.

Carefully Tikal placed the berries in his mouth, which shut as her hand retreated.

Slowly he began to chew, doing as Tikal said by getting as much of the juice as he could, however the pain in his side continued to burn, so he was not confident on the berries.

Putting bowl down Tikal grabbed the other one, took a handful and rubbed it in her hands. "This is cloter leaf, it will stop the bleeding." she said as she place deer hand on the wound and began to rub it in.

Having the echidna hand on the wound was uncomfortable enough, but after a few seconds of her hand in place he found himself struggling not to scream in pain It was the leaf. It was like poison ivy, only worse being on his bare flesh.  
"I thought you said those berries were going to help the pain." the archer said as he noticed Shadows expression of gritted teeth and wide eyes.

"It did," Tikal replied as she continued to rub in the leaf. "Cloter leaf speeds up the rate of blood clotting to an alarming rate. The pain without the sedative would have been enough to kill him."

That made shadow worry even more about that plant that as being rubbed in, but it made him more comfortable that this was the worst that he would get.  
After a few minutes of agonizing but thankfully non fatal pain, the bleeding had finally stopped and the pain was beginning to die down.

"Well I best be away before I am missed. I hope the road to the arena fares well for you sir." the archer said giving a slight bow to the two. "Silver was right about you," he said looking at Shadow as he spoke. "You really are a tough one."

"You know Silver?"asked Shadow.

"Of course, I'm in his team, and I am also his cousin. Rob o' the hedge, at your service."

Without thinking Shadow held out his hand. "I owe you Rob. All the best for tomorrow."

Giving a final nod Rob vacated the room, humming a little tune as he went.

And so it was just the hedgehog and the echidna now. Alone. Neither of the wanting to be the first to speak. For a few minutes they just sat there in silence, Tikal putting away the berries and herbs whilst Shadow sat there dealing with the aftermath of the pain that had once seared his side. But there was something that he wanted to ask. Something to he needed to ask.

"Why did you come down here?" he asked, his back to the echidna who stopped at the question.

She remained silent for a few seconds, unsure on how to answer him. They hadn't spoken to each other since the interview, and this time they were not opening with an apology, more of an inquiry. She had no idea why, but she could lie to him.

"I was looking for you." she said, her eyes remaining on the cloter leaf bowl that she had put away.

"Why?"

"Do I need a reason?" she snapped as she shot a glare at him, and he in turn met her glare with one of his own.

"Yes, other wise youre wasting your time."

"You are so full of shit aren't you?! First you don't talk to us, then you come and apologize. We get along for a week and then you just shut yourself away again!"

"You have no idea why i did that!" he shouted as he leapt off the table, ignoring the twinge of his sealed wound. he stood infront of her now, looking down on her, trying to make her back down. "You have no clue what i am doing! I'm making sure you don't get hurt!"

Tikal laughed mockingly at this. "Really? You're protecting me? How?! You think that staying away from me will stop me from getting killed? Do share your theory Mr. Hedgehog!"

"See this?!" he shouted, pointing at his wound. "This came from a guy who wanted me dead before the games so that he wouldn't need to worry about me later. People want to kill me! not just becasue we have to but becasue they want to." he sighed and closed his eyes, tunring away from her and leaning against the table. "And to get to me they will go after you."

At hearing this Tikal's expresssion softened. she slowly walked to stand in front of him, looking at his eyes that opened at her presence.  
"You... really care about me? Enough to stay away?" she asked, her sapphire eyes shining at him, making his heart almost melt.

"I... You saved my sisters life. I owe you-"

"Shadow," she cut in. "That's not what I meant." she said, averting her eyes but still smiling at the similarities between this and the last conversation that the two of them had shared when she helped him with his tie.

He too smirked at this.

"I uh..." he struggled.

Still not looking at him she let out a question that she desperately wanted to hear the asnwer to.  
"Shdow, do you... I mean do have you ever thought that you and I..."

Slowly, Shadow placed a hand under her chin, lifting it up so that he could look into her eyes llike he always wanted to.

"I don't know," he said, but a soft smile went across his face. "But I''m willing to find out." he spoke softly, and with that he moved his face towards hers, planting his lips onto hers.

It had certainly caught Tikal by surprise, she knew that she had wanted this to happen ever since the last time they spoke, but she had not expected him to engage the action. But all the same she found herself happy with him kissing her, and pretty soon she felt herself kissing him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

After a few minutes of exchanging the feeling that they had so despertely wanted to share, they parted and just stood there in each others arms happy to just have the other with them.

"We should get back." shadow suggested, ruining the moment for Tikal, who wanted nothing more than to stay with him.

But an idea sparked in her mind.  
She leaned in close and whispered into his ear. "Meet me back at the apartment. My room." she said before parting from him walking away, not turning back to look at him as to hide the small smirk that rested on her face.

As she walked out the door, Shadow was left with a blank, shocked look on his face. He placed his claws back on the racks and followed after her, a slight sense of haste in his steps.

When he arrived back at the apartment it was still dark, it was at least one in the morning so there was no chance of anyone else being up at that time. Even so he went through the apartment quietly enough so that if there was a chance of a stray individual out, there was no chance of them hearing him.

soon he reached the door to Tikal's room. His heart was racing, his hands were sweating. He had no idea what to expect. The tone in her voice when she invited him had been very... suggestful. He could not be sure what she was going to do. How far she was going to go.

Slowly he opened the door, its well oiled hinges making not a single sound as the doorway widened to reveal what was inside, which made Shadow's heart beat faster than he thought possible.

There she stood, garbed in a light pink silk night gown. It was a gift from the capitol, and even though Shadow hated all things capitol... he had to admit that it drove him crazy just looking at her.

A small but happy smile crept across her face as she slowly strode towards him. "You came." she said as she stood in front of him, only inches away.

Shadow shared the smile. "you thought I wouldn't?" he asked.  
"I uh... i thought that maybe i wasn't thinking straight and maybe you had run off." she laughed at herself softly, leaning her head onto his chest. "I'm not even sure whether I am or not." she said as she wrapped her arms around his body while his went around her neck.

"Well I'm here. So i think it is safe to say that I'm definitly not thinking straight."

She raised her head to look into the brilliant ruby red that was his eyes. "then maybe we can think this way together."  
he placed a hand under her chin.

"I'd like that." he said soft smile before leaning in and the two of them began kissing passionately.

After a few seconds they parted, however they were far from finished. taking his hand, Tikal began to stride backwards, towards her bed.

Once on its surface the two continued with exchaning sweet love filled kisses with one another. Soon however it began to become much more intense and Shadow soon found his shirt removed.

Needless to say, the two of them spent the night in one another's arms, both of them fearing not what tomorrow may bring. They did not take it as far as they possibly could. but they were happy just to have been with each other.  
All that mattered was that night.

All that mattered was that one day. One day. there was a lot you could do in one day. Training, make enemies, get impaled. Fall in love.


	11. Let the games begin

**_Hey guys, sorry for taking so long but I suppose a trip to NZ makes one busier than usual. Either way here is the new chapter!_**

_**ALSO! If you want to see an OC in the story at any time, private message me a profile of your OC with the following :**_

_**Name: **_

_**Age: **_

_**Race: (Fox, squirrel, dog, etc.)**_

_**Gender:**_

_**Personality:**_

_**Description: (For clothing think something that you would wear to keep warm but is still something you can stand wearing on a hot day. E.g: Jeans and long sleeved shirt)**_

_**Weapon:**_

_**If you could do that that would be great. For now enjoy!**_

As a golden sun rose over the rooftops, light flooded into the rooms of the District 12 apartment. Within one room a red Echidna laid in bed, snoring away loudly. In another a lavender cat slept silently.

One room however was different. There were two individuals in it. A peach echidna and a jet black hedgehog.

Whilst the echidna slept in bed, a happy smile on her face, the hedgehog stood by the window, his red eyes staring at the swift sunrise that signaled the dawn of a new day. And the beginning of the Chaos Games.

Sensing that the hedgehog had removed himself from the bed, Tikal's eyes slowly opened to see the hedgehog standing by the window, his shirt missing and his back to her. She slowly got out of bed, wrapping one of the sheets around her and stood by him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's today isn't it?" she asked already knowing the answer, and dreading it.

"Yeah." he replied. "It begins today."

She sighed and closed her eyes, fearing the answer to her next question. "You're still going to stay away. Aren't you?"

Shadow turned his head to face her, their eyes meeting. "It's the only way I can keep you safe."

"You could stay with us." she pleaded as she wrapped her arms around his torso. "You can protect us, all of us."

He placed his hand on her cheek, caressing her skin slowly. "You have no idea how much I want to stay with you. But I can't. If I do then you and the others are in even more danger."

Tikal hugged even tighter, and now tears started to flow run down her face. "I... I can't go in there knowing I might not see you again."

He returned the embrace by wrapping an arm around her. "We'll see each other again. And I promise you it will be when we win."

She looked at him, her eyes all puffy as tears continued to roll down her face. "How can you promise that?"

He smiled and moved away from her and picked something up off of her dresser. he strode back to her and held her hand in his, placing the pendant in her grasp.  
"As long as you have this, you can be certain that I'll be out there, watching for you."

Tikal looked down into her hands at the pendant for a good few minutes, the tears still flowing down her face. She looked up at Shadow, the smallest possible smile on her face.

"You better." she said before leaning in and kissed him.

The two continued to stand there, arms around each other and lips sealed to one another as the sun continued to rise over the city.  
Today it began. Today the games would begin. As would the fight for their lives.

Team twelve began making their way across the tarmac towards their transport. It was a large metal air ship, enough space to fit all the tributes and maybe two hundred other people.

The four of them walked alongside Sonic, who lead the way. He did not seem his uppity self. In fact if one thought he had any feeling they could say he was worried for his they neared the ship he stopped and looked at the four Mobians that he had been placed in charge of.

"Well... this is it then."

"Yeah, came a bit quick." Knuckles said, his face solemn as he held hand out to the hedgehog. "Nice knowing you Sonic."

The hedgehog took the echidnas hand. "You too kid. Make your district proud."  
Tikal and Blaze exchanged handshakes with him also, Shadow giving him a simple nod of acknowledgement.

And with that the four of them walked up the metal ramp into the ship, the stares of the other twelve teams following them on the way in. They found their seats at the end of the craft, Blaze smiling at the white hedgehog who sat across from them.

"Glad to see you guys made it." a voice called out, and Shadow looked around and scowled at the sight of Scourge sitting with his team. "I was afraid we'd have to start with out you." he laughed.

The team ignored them and took their seats by team eleven, which included Silver, Rob, who nodded at Tikal and Shadow, a pink echidna and a dark brown lynx whom the others had only seen briefly around the training room over the past week.

The two teams did not exchange any conversation, none of them were really in the mood to talk. As the engines began to pick up Shadow glanced left, only for a brow to raise in confusion as he saw the young rabbit he saw at the ball. She was leaning out of her seat, looking right at the hedgehog.

He knew that by the laws of the games she was eligible for the games, but in Shadow's opinion she seemed way too young. The two of them continued to stare at each other whilst the craft began its take off.

Soon however an older rabbit held her back with a cybernetic arm, stopping her from staring at Shadow.

Once the young one was out of sight Shadow felt a small nudge from Tikal on his right. He looked over to her, her face showing signs of concern.  
"You okay?" she asked.

Shadow turned from her and looked back over to where the rabbit sat, however his view was obstructed by the other tributes on her team.  
"Yeah, I'm fine." he lied, he wasn't even sure of what had just happened.

"Hello citizens of Mobius, today marks the beginning of the of the event we have all been waiting for. The 105th annual Chaos Games!" exclaimed Rouge who sat behind a desk in front of the numerous light and camera crew in the studio.  
"Joining me today, as always, is my close and personal friend Geoffrey St John." she said motioning to the skunk who sat beside her. "How have you been Geoffrey? I haven't heard from you in a while."

"Not that bad Rouge, though I have very much been looking forward to co-commentating with you this year. I must sat that next to Halloween this is my favorite time of the year. A time when we are all brought together in one event that defines what it really means to be apart of Mobius."

"Very patriotic and very true Geoffrey. Now we are a literal hour away from the games beginning, what do you hope to see this year?"

"Well to be honest Rouge I think that I'm part of the whole mob that wants to see something spectacular come out of team 12 this year."

"They are the talk of the town at the moment."

"That they are." laughed the skunk. "I really hope to see some action take place in the way of Shadow the hedgehog, who has attracted so much popularity despite numerous counts of assault on Capitol security."

"Well I do like a bad boy." Rouge commented, with a wink to the camera.

-*Meanwhile*-

"Amy?" Blaze asked in surprise as both she and Tikal rushed to the room to give their friend a hug.

The craft had landed outside of the arena, a huge domed complex made of some kind of metal. There was no telling what was inside, and there was not way out. The teams were each taken into different parts of what appeared to be some kind to underground bunker.

They all knew what would happen form here. They would each take an elevator up and take a spot in a large circle in the very center of the map where the cornucopia sat.

That was the most valued area in the entire map.  
All the food, medical equipment and weapons we're stored there. Whoever controlled that would have access to everything that they needed to survive. The challenge was to hold it, and most often one team wasn't enough. Some teams made short termed alliances, agreeing to work together.  
There would be forty right tributes out there. It would be useful to count one or two teams as non-hostile. For a while at least.

"What are you doing here?" Tikal asked as she and Blaze released the pink hedgehog.

"Well I came to say good bye to you guys. If your mentor doesn't come along then the next person closest to you gets to. In your case, me." she said with a smile as she looked of the four of them.

"I know that the four of you have got this. Maybe you don't all see eye to eye," she said as he gaze switched between Shadow and Knuckles, "but you can win this. I know you can."

She looked to Tikal. "You may not be the fastest or the strongest, but you've captured the hearts of the public, and if you win the crowd, you can win the games."

Her gaze moved to Blaze. "Your fast, nimble and sexy, all the guys will be holding lotteries to be your sponsor." she said, causing the cat to blush.

She moved onto Knuckles. "If there were a stronger Mobian he'd have to be a god. You keep up your guard up, and any body in there will think twice before coming after you."

Finally her eyes settled on Shadow. "You are without a doubt the most popular person in the games right now, not to mention the scariest Mobian I've ever seen. They'll be coming for you, show them what happens when they do."  
Shadow was surprised to find himself smirking at Amy's words.

"Now, enough of this, you four have a game to win. Show 'em what you can do." she said finally before motioned for another door, and with that the four of them walked on through, the door shutting behind them.

"Now lets take a look at the final footage from last year." Rouge suggested, and an image appeared on screen with two hedgehogs, one blue and one green, their hands locked together as the two of them wrestled each other for the upper hand. The two of them continued to struggle in what appeared to be a clearing in a thick forest.

"Ah so this was Sonic last year wasn't it?"

"That's right," Geoffrey answered. "This now this was the final kill that ended the games last year. This was after the last remaining member on Sonics team realized that the blue blur here was the one who killed the rest of their team."

"Quite the dick move wasn't it?"

"Very much so. Fun fact for the mates at home: The green hedgehog was actually Sonic's brother, Manic."

"That's right! I forgot all about that!" Rouge exclaimed. "And his sister Sonia was on the team as well wasn't she?"

"Yes, it was quite a surprise to everyone that he did what he did. I suppose he's lucky he has remained champion for so many years."

"Why's that?"  
"Because if he went home I'd expect that the district would give him what they think he deserves."

-*Meanwhile*-

Shadow sat there watching the television with disgust, sitting on a medical bench of some kind. He knew that Sonic had betrayed his team, but he had never believed that he had his brother and sister on there as well. But he supposed that he didn't need to worry about it now.

After they had left Amy they were each taken to their own room, where they were to go through one final medical examination as well as be given their trackers so that the game keepers could keep up with where they were.

To Shadow's surprise he had been given a set of clothes, but that wasn't what surprised him. What surprised him was the fact that it was HIS jacket. His black leather one with a spiked red spiral on the back. It hadn't come with a note or anything, he just found it waiting for him.

He held it to his nose, slowly taking in the scent of the forest, of home. He smiled at the memories that passed before his eyes. Days spent with his family, the hours he worked to feed his sister.  
Maria. Her face was fresh in his mind like he had seen her yesterday. Her sapphire eyes, her bright yellow quills and her favorite blue dress. If anything her face reminded him of...Tikal.

He shook his head, expelling both of their faces from his mind. He needed to clear his thoughts. If he wanted to get home, he needed to get his mind on the game. That meant keeping his sister and Tikal out of his head. He couldn't afford to have them clouding his judgement on the field.

He pulled the jacket away from his face, before pulling it around him and slipping his arms through the sleeves, pulling it onto his shoulders. It felt familiar, right. Like he knew that with this on him, he felt like a hunter again.

"I remember when I first saw that jacket." a voice spoke from over Shadow's shoulder, and immediately the hedgehogs blood ran cold.  
"The jacket I bought from a man in District 8. They are our leading textile industry, so I wasn't surprised to find something like that there. However it did have a certain calling with it. Like I was meant to have it." stated Mephiles as he made his way around the table that Shadow sat on.

"When I got to District 12 however, I knew that it needed a little something. Something to know that it was unique. Whilst walking around the markets I came across a woman selling a number of well sowed patches. One in particular caught my eye, and well... so did she." the elder said as he now stood in front of the boy.

"What are you doing here?" Shadow asked, bearing his teeth with each word, his hands gripping the edges of the bench intensely.

Mephiles gave a sigh and pulled some kind of metallic cylinder from out of his pocket, roughly the size of a pen.

"After a while I came to know that woman on a very personal level. We had a fair bit in common, although we were visually very different. My quills black and grey, her's a brilliant white and red. We were like a walking ying-yang." he joked as he held out the cylinder. "Hand please."

"Why?"

"For the tracking-"

"No, why are you telling me this?" Shadow asked, his anger replaced by confusion.

"I suppose" the old hedgehog began, "It is in some feeble attempt to tell you my side of the story." he said as he motioned to the boys hand again, and slowly Shadow held out his palm.

Mephiles gently placed the device on top of Shadow's palm, before pressing the small black bottom on top, sending a sharp jolt of pain up the boys arm.  
"After I introduced myself she was less than happy about meeting one of "my kind". And oh yes, she used those words. Soon after I finally convinced her to come and have dinner with me where I was staying at the time. And as I hoped we had a bit more in common. Before I knew it whenever I wasn't busy with work I was with her. And before you ask no, it was not because she got more food with me. Twelve was a bit more decent back then." he insisted.

"So before long I found my lips on hers, and I knew I was in love." a smile crossed his face at the memory. His green eyes drifted to Shadow now. "And then you came along." he said with the smile still on his face. "You had taken after both of us, quills as black as night with streaks of red like wildfire. Shadow, she said it had been the name of a story book character, one that was afraid of nothing, and who would never go down without a fight."

As happy as the memory was to the old hedgehog, the smile slowly began to fade away.

"Then a few years later the law was established that citizens of the capitol were forbidden from having any kind of relationship with a man or woman from the districts. The penalty was death. And at the same time I had received a promotion in the Capitol. It was to be impossible to stay in contact with you, so I left. And that was when your mother became pregnant with Maria. I only found out after I left when Gerald sent me a letter saying so."

"And she was dead." Shadow said, his eyes closed at the memory. Despite how strong his mother was, she could not handle Maria, and her strength gave in.

"Yes... When I heard I knew that the two of you were still there. I had to comeback for you. But if I did then I would be breaking the law, and then they would kill me." he raised his head. "So I remained in the Capitol, and ran for President. And ever since then I've been watching you from afar."

Shadow raised his head. "Then why didn't you comeback?"  
What almost looked like shame came over the President. "You were already and angry bitter at me, and if the world found out that I had two children in an outlying district they would surely strip me of my position and put down capitol punishment."

The younger hedgehog now could not take his eyes off the President, but his expression could not be determined.

"I don't ask for forgiveness because I know that there is a small chance of getting it, I just wanted you to know why I had to leave you and your sister to life in that district." he slid the cylinder into his pocket and began to walk out of the room but he stopped at the door and turned back to his flesh and blood.

"I've built roads, commissioned constructions and inventions. But you are by far my greatest creation." a small smirk appeared on his lips. "I know you've probably heard this, but it anyone can win it's you."

"What makes you have such faith in me?" Shadow asked calmly.

"You're my son Shadow. What kind of a father would I be if I didn't have faith in you?"

Those words made Shadow's insides drop, never had he heard something like that, nor had he expected to.

"If you want to win, then you will need to do the unspeakable. She won't like it. But if you love her, you'll have to do it."  
Shadow's look of confusion sparked some kind of amusement for the old Mobian.  
"She's a nice looking girl. Protect her. You already promised that you would." he said before turning to the door.

"Dad..."

It was Mephiles' turn to have his insides drop. The black and grey hedgehog turned to his son, his emerald eyes meeting with the boys ruby red.

"I can never forgive you for what you did... but I can let it go." he said, and a small smirk of his own went across his lips.

His father returned the smile. "Make me proud, son." and with that the father departed his son, leaving him to whatever the gods had in store for him.

Knuckles continued to flex his hand stubbornly. He could feel the tracker imbedded in his skin. He never did like injections.

Once he had been given his final check up, he was lead into a room with a mirror, some shelves and only two ways out. the door he came in, or a glass cylinder that went who knew where. He supposed that that was the way into the games.

Up there the carnage would begin. He had been given a dark brown vest its front lined with pockets and under that a black shirt with a white upside down crescent shape. He was also given pair of matching boots, which he now examined in the mirror.

_These look like they can go through their fair share of action_. he said as he continued to take interest at his new foot wear. He checked himself out in the mirror, actually liking what he had saw. It got to a stage where he was even striking poses and flexing his muscles.

This made it all the more embarrassing when a Capitol staff member stepped in through the door as he was in mid pose with his arms up tensing his muscles.

"It's time." the cheetah said, seeming unfazed by what he had walked in on.  
Knuckles, who's face was now as red as his fur. He nodded to the Mobian before turning to the glass tube at the end of the room.

He could feel his heart racing now. Every step towards it felt like it added ten tons onto his back. He knew that every step was a step closer to his fate. Every step was one more closer to the carnage that would undoubtedly unfold in the arena.

"Get a move on." the staff member said, and Knuckles noticed that in reality he hadn't moved at all.  
Swallowing his fear, Knuckles made for the elevator, and soon found the door to it closing shut, sealing him in. He looked back to where the guard had stood, but he was already gone.

With a jolt the elevator came to life, and the echidna felt himself rising upwards with the platform. He looked up to the light of the artificial sun that would light up the arena. And as he got closer to it, his heart raced to knew speeds, speeds that could have out run sound.

And then there he was. In his own little part of the circle. He looked around him to get a brief look on his bearings. They were surrounded by trees. the arena must have been set up to be a forest. And then he heard it. The boom of the cannon signaling the beginning of the count down.

_48..._  
_47..._  
_46..._  
_45..._

He looked around the circle to try and spot the others. He noticed Shadow instantly, his black fur and red streak standing out from the crowd. He soon spotted Blaze further away if she felt terrified she certainly looked the part.  
Tikal however was no where in sight.

The ring of tributes went all away around the clearing. All around the cornucopia. She had to be on the far side of the ring. Knuckles glanced to the side at Shadow, who was closer to that side. He kept glancing to the far side. So she was in sight of him.

_24..._  
_23..._  
_22..._  
_21..._

Knuckles looked again at the Cornucopia. It was like a small set of ruins, nearly the entire surface was covered in moss and cracks ran through the stonework. If Knuckles wanted the most supplies or weapons he would have to risk it. But each tribute had been given a small pack next to their starting point. He assumed that it would have the basics.

It was either risk getting a weapon or just get out of the center as quickly as possible. He knew that he couldn't rely on Shadow, so he looked to Blaze, who was already looking at him.

He motioned with his head towards the woods, receiving a nod in reply. She looked to the side at what he assumed was Tikal, and tried to deliver the same message.

_10..._  
_9..._  
_8..._

This was it. It began here. But their only hope was to stick together. If they watched each other's backs, they could.

_3..._  
_2..._  
_1..._

_BOOM_

With the flash of the cannon, anarchy erupted. tributes from all sides did one of two things, either run for the centre and risk bloodshed, or grab their bag and run. Knuckles, sticking with his idea, ran for it.

He almost forgot his back on the way out, practically throwing it over his back as he darted into the forest, the dying screams following him as he ran.

When Knuckles reached the tree line he did not stop, he made his way far enough into the woods that he wouldn't be spotted from the cornucopia. He slid to a stop and crouched behind a fallen log. He did his best to block out the sounds that came from the center. trying so desperately to ignore the screams of both young adults and children.

A crushing of leaves to the side caused him to jump, and he looked to the side seeing Blaze running into the woods.  
Knuckles called her over, and soon the two sat watching the violence through the trees.

"Where's Tikal?" Knuckles asked.

"I don't know!" replied Blaze, clearly panicking. "She was right behind me! She was... oh god where is she?"

the two of them sat there waiting. But nobody came.

"She can't have fallen behind... she couldn't have..." said Knuckles, trying to reassure both Blaze and himself.

But they both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the peach echidna stumbling through the brush, with a pack on her back and a sword in hand.

"Tikal." Knuckles, shouted quietly.

She came over and handed the sword to Knuckles. "Here, Silver said that we might need this." she said looking at Blaze who smiled at the mention of the white hedgehog.

"Did you see where Shadow went?" Tikal asked the two of them, Blaze shook her head whilst Knuckles scowled.

"He's left us Tikal. We don't need to worry about him, and he certainly isn't worrying about us."

Tikal knew that that wasn't true, but she held her tongue.

"Alright, come on. We need to get out of here and find a place to stay." The red echidna said, turning his back and began to make his way through the woods, and the two of them followed.

"At least this is a forest. We might have an advantage." Blaze commented as they walked.

"Somethings not right though. It seems a bit flat doesn't it?" Knuckles replied, commenting on the fact that the ground was just flat and grassy. "This isn't the kind of thing you find in-" he stopped when they actually exited the woods.

A large metal gate running along either way, and a large stone arch welcoming them to the real arena.

"You guys didn't see the towers did you?" Tikal asked.

In front of them was a sidewalk. A side walk lining a black tarmac road, faded yellow stripes going through it. It was a road, a road becoming streets that lined the bases of ruined sky scrapers and other small apartment buildings.

The Arena was an entire ruined city.

-*Meanwhile*-

It wasn't his apartment in the capitol or his home in District 12. But it would do. The black hedgehog casually walked into the empty hotel room. It was high enough to get a view of the street, but not high enough as to make whoever was in the street invisible or undefinable.

He sat himself down on the ruined bed, the rusty springs squeaking loudly. Sheets missing and mattress with holes in it. It would do, it was better than what he had at home. From the ground he picked up a piece of cloth, he assumed it was once part of a curtaian

He folded it up and placed it between his teeth.

*Shrink*

The claws slid out of the metal knuckles on his fist. He held his hand out and took a deep breath before slowly driving the blade into his palm. He groaned in pain, his jaws chomping down on the cloth. He flicked the blade to the side slightly, and a tiny piece of metal came tumbling out, clinking as it struck the ground.

Now they wouldn't be able to keep track of him. Aside from the cameras that would be posted all over the city, Shadow the hedgehog was now invisible in the eyes of the Capitol.


	12. Apples

"We're lost." the fox complained.

"Of course we're lost! We've never been here before! So stop complaining!" the hedgehog shouted as the party made their way through the streets.

"If you had let us scout ahead we would have found a safe house by now." the purple swallow whined.

"And let you guys give away our position? No thanks."

The yellow fox commented.

Teams 1 and 2. All of them careers. It was common for the the most deadly teams to make an alliance early into the games. That would allow them to have increased numbers to hold the cornucopia, and not having to worry about being attacked by a team that could actually fight. At least for a while.

But just because the eight of them were on the same side for now, it didn't mean that they fully trusted each other. Each of them had a big ego, and they weren't going to let it get dented. They all had a chance of winning, each of them was a trained killer.  
But in the end their overconfidence would ultimately be their downfall. At least that was how Asana saw it. Her jade green eyes looked down on the pack as they walked through the streets, oblivious to her atop one of the many roof tops that made the canopy of the concrete jungle.

She watched them go for a while longer, she wasn't going to try attacking them. To do so was asking for an early death, and she planned on winning the games, with or without her team. She stood from her spot on the rooftop, turning to the next building in the opposite direction the careers were headed, and ran. Without slowing or showing any signs of stopping, the purple fox ran at the buildings edge before leaping over it, soaring through the air and over the five meter spread that isolated the two buildings.

The feeling of the air flowing through her fur felt amazing as her body traversed the gap, having flown forwards by at least five meters and fallen at least six. Despite the distance, she landed into a perfect roll, from which she recovered instantly.

Once more she ran for the next building, and continued to do so. Despite the complete difference in species, she flew through the air as if she were a bird herself.

However even eyes of an eagle couldn't have seen the pair of red ones that followed her figure across the rooftops. Shadow sat by the window of his safe house. He had looked only briefly out the window when he spotted the purple fox leaping across the rooftops. He admired her skill, but her grasp of subtlety was nonexistent.

Even though the careers, who posed the greatest threat out of any one in the arena, had their backs turned it didn't mean that no one else could have spotted her. In her case, Shadow.

The hedgehog sighed, removing himself from the window to settle down and eat what had to be considered as dinner. An apple. It wasn't much, but his resources were limited at this time. His pack had only contained the single red fruit and a large can of pears. He would treat himself to the apple for now, then continue to look for supplies further into the pears might as well be considered a treasure, canned meant they were going to last him for as long as he was he was alive, so he didn't have to worry about them rotting.

As his teeth pierced the fruit's blood red skin his mouth flooded with the juice and soft flesh that lay beneath it. He had not had an apple since he was small, so until now the taste of such a thing had been long forgotten. But as he continued to feast on it the memory came flooding back, as if a beast caged long ago had been released back into the wilds where it was born.

However there was no time to devour it slowly and savor the taste. He had to get back out there, find supplies, any extra gear. And if he had to, start cutting down the numbers. Though he did not know how many had died in the first five minutes, there would still be many tributes out there, and it was a big city.

As he bit away at the remaining flesh, he took that one second to remember its taste. To archive what was left of the sensation that had erupted with every bite. Once done, he sat up from the the floor, throwing his pack over his shoulders. His claws ejected out as he tested them once before stepping out of the door and back into the game.

A full moon was already up and in full brilliance by the time the remaining members of team twelve found themselves a place to stay. It was a rundown house, one maybe nearly two kilometers out side of the tower district of the city. No one was home, which was good. There was hardly anything in the pantry, save a single loaf of bread.

They knew that one loaf was more than they normally ate at home in a week. But it was decided that they would have to save it as much as they could, though still make the most of it before it began to grow moldy.

The second story was chosen to sleep in. Easily defendable from the stairs and it was not that high a drop into some hedges in the back garden. Just in case the sandman decided to visit in the night. Putting them to sleep permanently. Their luck was proved good once again when there was an actual bedroom for each of them. With real beds.  
They had become accustomed to the over comfort that was provided in the capitol, so they were happy that they were able to find a place on some beds were not only soft, but big.

Tikal had volunteered for the first watch. Even though the chances of one of the other teams finding them was small, it was better to be prepared for the possibility of an intruder than wait until there was a knife across their throats.

As her friends slept, Tikal found herself sitting at the top of the stair case, eyes glued to the front door as she awaited for someone to come barging through waving a sword or axe like a mad man. But in reality she had been waiting for Shadow to come crashing through, alive and well.

She smiled at the thought of the hedgehog walking in, smile on his face, holding out his arms for her to lunge for him in a loving embrace. It had only been a few hours since she had seen him at the beginning of the games. He had been standing there, wearing that jacket he had worn at home, which surprised Tikal. He hadn't exchanged glances with her, only a simple nod of acknowledgement. She knew that it was for her safety. If someone like Scourge had seen it, they would have undoubtedly seen the bond they shared, and then used it to their own cruel advantage.

She shook her head of the thought, her hand going to the pendant that she had been pinned to her clothing.

"As long as you have this," he had said "you can be certain that I'll be out there, watching for you."

She looked above the door, where a decorated window had been installed. The moon shone through, its pale white surface shining through with unbreakable majesty.  
He was out there, she knew, well and very much alive. Her grip on the pendant tightened slightly.

"You better be out there Shadow," she whispered softly, "or I'm coming out after you."

-*Meanwhile*-

"Well ladies and gentlemen," the man said as he stroked the long length of his orange mustache, "That's an end to day one." he announced. His eyes, hidden behind a pair of round spectacles, glanced over to one of the analysts. "How are are we off with the body count Snively?"

The small bald man spun around in his chair with a small smile on his lips. "You'll be surprised to hear that more tributes actually survived the slaughter this year."

"That is surprising!" exclaimed Robotnik.

"Yes, compared to last year we only had three tributes knocked out of the running in the first five minutes."

"Only three? They must have gotten the idea to runaway from last years slaughter. Put up the fallen would you?"

"Of course, sir." Snivley responded, tapping away at his console.

Inside the arena a second moon appeared in the sky, adjacent to the first one. It was marked with the symbol of the capitol, an acorn with an arrow and a scroll crossing behind it.

All eyes in the arena were raised to the sigh that appeared. Whilst knew what it was from previous years, most of the younger tributes had no clue of what this symbol was meant for.

The Acorn soon faded away, in its place the image of a green crocodile appeared a gold chain around his neck. It quickly faded to another face, a bee with a ridiculous grin on his lips. and finally a coyote with a head of blonde hair and the beginnings of a mustache above his lip.

And just as quick as the images had come they left, leaving some of the tributtes unfazed, others feeling empathy, whilst other let tears roll down their faces at the loss of their comrades.

"Very good, that pulled a few heart strings I imagine." Robotnik said, no particular emotion on his face. He looked to another monitor that had been left unattended. "Where is Regina?" he asked no one in particular.

After no one answered he grumbled to himself and walked over to the monitor. He tapped away at the controls before removing his glasses to make sure what he was seeing was real.

"Snively!" he shouted and the little man appeared at his side.

"Yes sir?" he replied, his voice with an all too obvious tone of fear.

"Why was tribute twelve- three not on list for deceased?"

"B-but sir! He's not dead!"

"Then explain why his tracker is indicating a flat line in his pulse?!"  
Snivley's eyes darted to the screen. The signal wasn't lying, Shadow the hedgehog was being marked as deceased.

"That can't be right sir!"

"Then explain how-!"

"Sir!" a new voice shouted from across the room. "Snively is right, he's not dead!" the mobian duck said.

"Explain!" Robotnik demanded, slamming a fist onto the table.

"On screen sir!" the duck said, pointing to one of the large screen that dominated the walls.

What the game master saw made his mind fly in all directions. There was the famous Shadow, searching an old fridge in an abandoned housing block.

"Someone run a diagnostic on his tracker! I want him-"

"Is there a problem Robotnik?" a new voice spoke and the man froze before he turned with a wide grin on his face to meet the eyes of the President.

"President Mephiles! What a surprise! Problem? No! Not at all, just a slight malfunction with one of the tributes trackers. That's all."

The grey hedgehog's brow raised at this, and he strode over to the monitor, brushing past Robotnik who was now sweating like a pig.

"Why is Shadow being marked as deceased? I'm certain I did not see his face on the list of the fallen."

Snively cleared his throat nervously. "Most likely it is just a glitch with his tracker or he could have-"

"But it will be rectified just as easily, sir." reassured Robotnik.

The President looked up to the monitor to the image of his look alike rummaging through the remains of the apartment. He watched with interest as the boy pulled a can of old pineapple out of a small nook, causing his sleeve to roll back slightly. Allowing Mephiles to confirm his suspicions.

"Freeze that image." he ordered, and his will was done. "There is your problem gentleman." he said, pointing to the bloodied rag that the hedgehog had tied around his hand. "It appears that Shadow has removed his tracker. I expect you will find someway to compensate for it?" he asked Snivley.

The amateur analyst looked unsurely from the President to Robotnik, who seemed insulted that the President had asked Snively for a solution, but gave him the nod to answer the question anyway.

"I suppose we could assign someone to monitor him through the cameras at all times. That way we can keep track of him and whatever might happen to him."

A smile spread across the presidents face and he patted the little man on the shoulder. "Good. See to it that you get someone on that right away." he turned from Snively and began for the door. "Carry on Robotnik." he said as he walked, leaving slight discord amongst the game keeper and his analysts.

_That's my boy._ he thought to himself as he vacated the control room.


	13. The Roster-Complete

**Hey guys welcome back to the Chaos Games. I'm reposting this roster to let everyone know that it is finished, and that there will be more of the story to come. (had you worried didn't I? XD)**

** I'd like to give a great big thanks to the following people:**

_**changingwiththewinds**_  
_**Jakk 100**_  
_**Tails Fan 147 **_  
_**Lightning Rose**_  
_**Brookdalebunny**_  
_**Aj the Human**_  
_**xiXlToxiclXix**_  
_**Chaotic Hedgehog**_  
_**Epicsonicfan & Horseandanimallover1**_

**These People I would like to thank personally for submitting OC's to the story. I can't promise that you will all see your OC's doing what you hope them to do. But I can promise that each will have their own memorable moment in the story. **

**Obviously I am full now so I cannot accept any more, but if you keep an eye out for my future work, **_Shadows of the Dead__**, I will be accepting OC's for then and should be starting to publish that as I am wrapping this story up. **_

**But for now this Roster will serve as a reference to all those who fought in the Chaos Games. See you all next chapter!**  
**Each character will have either an ST (sonic team) or an OC (Original character).**

**So Enjoy!**

District 1 Scourge the Hedgehog ST

Fiona the Fox ST

Miles the Fox (Anti Tails) ST

Mina the Mongoose ST

District 2

Jet the Hawk ST

Wave the Swallow ST

Storm the Albatross ST

Cherl the Pigeon (wasabiissohot)

District 3

Tails Prower ST

Gift the Fox (Tails Fan 147)

Avenir Spunc the Cat (brookdalebunny)

Sabina the Bunny OC

District 4

Big the Cat ST

Aj the Hedgehog (Aj the Human)

Scorn the Crow

Rosey the Rascal (ST)

District 5

Vector the Crocodile ST

Asana the Fox (wasabiissohot)

Jolt the Roadrunner (ST)

Sino the Horse (Horseandanimallover)

District 6

Mighty the Armadillo ST

Silent the Hedgehog (Lightning Rose)

Daniel the Hedgehog (Lightning Rose)

Karma the Stoat

District 7

Predator Hawk ST

Kyna the Hare (xiXlToxiclXix)

Toledo the Ocelot

Sophia the Siamese

District 8

Storm the Hedgehog (Chaotic Hedgehog)

Lyta the Wolf ST

Scythe the Wolverine

Leeco the Wolf ST

District 9

Espio the Chameleon ST

Aurora the Panther (Epicsonicfan)

Charmy the Bee

Candy the Fox (Jakk 100)

District 10

Elias Acorn (Chipmunk) ST

Bunnie Rabbot ST

Antoine de Coolette (Coyote) ST

Cream the Rabbit ST

District 11

Silver the Hedgehog ST

Julie-Sue the Echidna ST

Rob o' the Hedge ST

Arashi the Lynx (Bride of the Conquering Storm) ST

District 12

Knuckles the Echidna ST

Blaze the Cat ST

Shadow the Hedgehog ST

Tikal the Echidna ST

So there's the list, that should make it a little easier. See you all next chapter!


	14. Hoping

**_Hey there guys welcome back to a REAL chapter of the Chaos Games. Sorry I've been gone for so long, schools back up and I'm the new kid in a new school. But I'm back in the game, I've got a new laptop, and I'm ahead of my classes enough to have some time for writing. _**

**_Now I know I've already asked for OC's, but I'm going to ask you, the audience, what you want to see next from me. I know I've already mentioned my _**_Shadow's of the Dead_**_ series, but what kind of thing do you want to see me write? I began a Fallout themed story, but I've gotten kind of bored with that._**

**_So what do you want to see? I'm going to give a leave it up to you guys. _**

**_But for now, Enjoy! _**

"Empty... Empty... Empty...E- Ooohh! Marmite!" exclaimed the roadrunner as he reached into the cupboard and pulled out the small jar containing the the dark brown spread. He unscrewed the lid and took in a long whiff of it, one of his feet bouncing slightly at its scent.

He was about to stick his tongue in and lick the whole thing up when a voice to the side stopped him.

"What are you doing you pig?" spoke the tan stallion, whose amethyst imitating eyes, her gaze like a knife that sliced the birds nerve in half. She sat in front of a dining room table, he legs on top of it pulling the table cloth slightly towards her.  
Jolt tried to seem as tough as he could, but his clear lack of any kind of spine broke through the mask of supposed toughness.

"I-I-I..." he stuttered before clearing his throat and doing his best to stand as tall as he could. "I'm not a pig." he threw back, causing Sino to scoff.

"Put it with the other supplies before you choke on it." she laughed before closing her eyes slightly as she settled into a small snooze.

Despite his obvious loathing for the horse, Jolt complied and made his way to the lounge room, where team 5 was storing most of their supplies. He did so with a wave of curses under his breath. Although he did so quietly, her sharp ears let her know every word. Which only made her smile even more.

Though Jolt, Sino and their partner Asana were officially from the same district, they certainly weren't a team. There was no clear leadership, they argued all most all time, whenever they weren't arguing they were off doing their own thing and they never saw eye to eye when it came to any incident.

They had already lost one member of their team, Vector, who had been killed by a chameleon who none of them knew. Jolt had supposedly seen it all. But neither Sino nor Asana believed him. Appearing out of thin air apparently didn't seem very convincing. Though despite their obvious disbelief, Jolt stood by what he said, knowing that he knew what he saw.

And even though only one of them had been slain it was almost as if they had been cut down to half of their number. If she wasn't in her bed Asana would be gone too. Sometimes they'd catch her climbing back through the window of their base, but she'd just ignore their questions, retreating to her own room where she secretly savored the spoils of her hunting.

And as Jolt was complaining to himself about how Sino ordered him around, Asana was doing just that. She slowly bit into the surface of a muesli bar, quietly peeling back the wrapper as she savored each bite. Archiving the taste. Though she knew that there would likely be someone watching back in the capitol, she couldn't care less.

Her only worry was her own survival. She might have been fine if Vector had made it out as well. He had been like a big brother to her for years. But that was life. You lose people. He was just another one of those people.

She couldn't let emotions stand in her way. Emotions were a barrier. One that needed, and could be traversed with ease. She wasn't there to make friends that she didn't need. She was there to win.

And if she had to horde food from her own team, so be it.

_**-*Meanwhile*-**_

Morning. It was about the worst time for Blaze because it meant that she had had the least sleep. She would be the only one up when the sun came up, and then she would be awake the longest for the entire day.

She was used to being up early, only the sun was at least coming up when she did. Now she was up a few hours before it even happened. She had taken the spot that Knuckles had taken from Tikal at the very top of the stairs. She had watched darkness turn to light as the sun rose up to wherever east was.

As she continued to watch the light dance around the lower level windows, her mind drifted to when she had danced with Silver. Ever since the countdown had begun she could not stop thinking about what would happen to what they felt for each other.

(_This be a flash back folks!)_

_She smiled at the memory she held close to her heart. It was back when Shadow had shut himself off form the team after the interview, when the team felt almost divided. It had hit her the worst. She either locked herself away or trained in solitude and silence._

_But on the final night before the countdown, she had been awakened by Shadow entering the apartment again. She was about to get back to sleep, wanting to conserve her strength for the following morning, but then she heard someone else enter the apartment._

_It was only now that she recognized the footsteps of the black hedgehog, and that the first ones she had heard were not of his own. Carefully she made her way out of bed and watched from her door. She wasn't sure what to feel when she saw Shadow enter Tikal's room. Blaze knew that she had sensed something going on between them, but she had assumed it was just friendship. _

_But for that moment, she smiled to herself, knowing that as long as Tikal was happy, she would always accept her friends choice. And besides, it was likely that they were going to die the next day, so she might as well let the little echidna do whatever she wanted with whoever she wanted._

_The lavender cat had returned to bed, but was awoken a few hours later by a fient tapping from her window. She thought maybe it was just a bird, and that it would fly off soon. __But as the noise continued her face soon turned into a scowl, and she found herself leaping out of bed and almost marching across the room, ready to throw back the curtains and give the little bugger the scare of his life._

_As she pulled back the curtains however, she found that it was not some little pest that stood there pecking at the window. Instead there stood a white hedgehog, smiling at her from the balcony behind the glass door. He wore a tanned leather jacket with a black shirt, and a pair of camouflage cargo pants. But his smile made the whole picture perfect._

_Her scowl quickly turned to a surprised grin, and a light shade of red colored her cheek. She opened the door, the early morning breeze flowing into the room and meeting her with a feint whistle._

_Silver stepped back from the door, giving Blaze a chance to stand with him._

_"Morning." He said, with that voice that just seemed so happy all the time._

_"Hey…" Blaze responded shyly, her golden eyes not meeting with his amber ones._

_"Boy am I glad it this was your room, I'd have hated to see Knuckles coming out of there." He joked, receiving a small fit of soft laughter from her._

_"I'd say you look good, but I'm assuming that you're pajamas aren't your best clothes." He said with a smirk as Blaze went even redder to the realisation that she had forgotten to put a nightgown over herself._

_She turned to go back in to grab it, but felt Silver's hand find its way into hers._

_"Hold up," he said, "you like beautiful either way." He said, his smirk turning into a warm smile._

_At first she was too nervous to look back at him, but she soon gathered the confidence to at least turn her head slightly to look him in the eye._

_"Come here," he said, giving her a gentle pull. "You look like your freezing."_

_"You think?" she said behind a pair of clenched but smiling teeth as she stepped into a gentle warm embrace._

_The two of them stood, there, refusing to drop the other's gaze. They began to lose track of the time, too much time, and The only realized this as Black began to see the tiniest hints of light shine upon Silver's fur._

_They looked to the east, over the concrete and steel jungle that was the Capitol, just standing there watching the dawn of the Chaos Games._

_"You know," Silver began, "back in 11 we have this tree. This big old apple tree called Saisho no tsu. Our elders say that its been around as long as they have, and there elders and there elders. Some believe that is was the first tree to ever bare fruit in Mobius, and that is why District 11 is the source of all agriculture."_

_"It sounds beautiful." Blaze commented, still watching the sun rise._

_"It's not all that good. Besides… I've seen better looking things." He said, diverting his gaze to the cat in his arms, who met his eyes with her own. And once again her cheeks went bright red._

_"It's also said that in my District, when two people kiss under the rays of the new dawn, their love is as endless as the cycle of growth and life that all living things follow."_

_A brow cocked on Blaze's face, something didn't sound right about that._

_"You're making that up." She said bluntly._

_Silver almost looked hurt by the comment, but his smile was still present on his face._

_"Prove me wrong then."_

_"And how am I supposed to do that."_

_He leaned in a little closer. "Kiss me, and see if we don't last forever." He said before he and Blaze both leaned into each other, their lips meeting in a perfect union of love and passion._

_They continued to stand there until the sun revealed its full body, and continued its slow march up the sky._

_They soon parted, Blaze leaning against the glass door to her room, still looking at her white knight._

_"I'll see you out there." She purred._

_He placed a hand on her cheek, which she almost leaned into._

_"Stay safe Blaze, I'll search for you. And when I find you I will not let go."_

_"I love you." She practically blurted, but it felt right._

_"I love you too." He said, leaning in and kissing her one last time. "Catch you later purr-face." He joked before leaping of the balcony, no doubt down to his own balcony._

And that had been the last time she had seen him. All that she had heard from him was when Tikal brought two swords from his team, meaning he had made it to the cornucopia and survived.

But for now she would keep hoping. Hoping that he would find her. Hoping that he would be with her through the nightmare. Hoping that he would stay with her. Hoping that that story about the tree wasn't a load of crap.

But then she figured just by the way she felt at that moment, she knew the answer to that already.

**_I'm back baby! _**

**_P.S: Saisho no tsu roughly translates to: The first one. I thought it fitting to use Japanese considering it's Sonic and all that._**

**__****_I'm xcaliber234, you're my audience, read, review follow, favourite and I will see you all soon. _**


	15. Daniel

**_You know, after not updating in so long I only have one thing to say... I'M BACK BITCHES!_**

For Daniel, it was the waiting that killed him. Figuratively speaking of course. He remained low to the ground, his spear by his side, ready to pierce through the forest floor and catch anyone off guard. He had been lying there for at least two hours, waiting. And he was sick of it. His sister was doing more than him and she was back at camp keeping watch on the food.

Their team had met up with the folks from team 10, and although they had negotiated an alliance for now, they were still not in the best of trusting moods. Daniel didn't mind them though, the one called Bunnie seemed like she was too busy grieving for their lost teammate to betray them.

When Cream wasn't comforting Bunnie, she was doing her best to help out with both teams, gathering supplies, cooking, even keeping watch. She was young, but she knew what she was doing, she knew that if she didn't do what was expected of her it could get herself and both teams killed.

Elias however… Daniel wasn't sure what to think about him. He seemed to have honor, but there was something in his eyes that suggested he was having to stop himself from throwing a murderous glare at both teams. As if he didn't trust anyone. Even though it sounded kind of harsh, it was a good skill to have. You never knew when your teammate could become your foe.

Even though he was comfortable around them, it didn't mean that he trusted them. He wanted to, but the problem was it was all too possible for one of them to volunteer for first watch. And then whilst they were sleeping they could just walk on by and plunge a knife into everyone's throats.

As his mind continued to rattle with these thoughts he neglected to hear the feint sounds of screaming from behind him. It was only when he heard the gunshot that he became alert to the situation. His mind clicked to only one concern… his sister, Silent.

He ran through the trees, branches slapping him across the face as he leaped over logs and powered up the hill that led to their camp. When he arrived at the outskirts, he threw himself into the dirt.

His camp had been overrun, that much he knew. His fists clenched into the soil, crushing a grub between his fingers.

Bunnie's corpse lay out on the ground in the outskirts. Either she had ran out to meet the threat, or had been cut down when they came storming into the vicinity.

In the center of the camp stood several figures, most whom Daniel didn't know, but there was one amongst them he knew. A hedgehog, emerald green in color with light blue eyes that seemed welcoming, but were more or less just bait for the prey. Scourge.

He was surrounded by many others, too many for a single team. Three birds, a green hawk, a purple swallow and a grey albatross. As well as mobians who looked like his own team, a two foxes, one scarlet red and the other yellow with two tails and a dark grey haircut, and a yellow mongoose with several piercings in her ears.

He could hear them conversing with another, but he was too far away to hear anything concrete.

But as the group parted his eyes widened. With her body covered with dirt and blood and cuts and bruises all over her body, Silent lay in a crumpled heap in the midst of the two teams. And she was still moving.

Daniel's heart told him to charge in a rescue her, but he knew if Scourge was there it meant that they were teams one and two. If he ran in he'd be signing his own death wish.

But what could he do? If he sat there his sister would surely be executed. If he ran he knew that there would be a camera somewhere, broadcasting his cowardice to the rest of the world.

It was a matter of dying on his feet, or living with the reality that he ran whilst his sister was slaughtered. Since the beginning of the games he had held on to the reality that he might die, even if he ran now he may die soon after, be it minutes, hours or even days after.

If he could take them by surprise he could take a few of them out and give Silent time to get away if she could. But one of them had a gun, he had no idea where or how they could possibly have aquired firearms, and the birds each had some kind of board under the arm, extreme gear.

How were they so well equipped in such short a time? Were sponsors allowed to supply that sort of thing?

The moans and gasps of pain caught his attention once more as he watched his sister plucked off the ground by the large grey albatross that held here by the collar of her shirt

Scourge started to speak, but Daniel was still too far. The hedgehog's back was turned; if he stayed like that Daniel could throw his spear. There was a high risk of being discovered, then he was sure to die. But he could end it right now. He could put an end to the biggest threat in the games with a single movement.

But then what about Silent? They would surely kill them both, and she was already in great pain by the look of her.

Scourge reared back as Silent spat in his face, before striking her around the side of the head, shouting curses and insults. They weren't going to kill her. Not yet. Not before Scourge made her suffer. That was the kind of sick and twisted mobian he was.

With his hand now shaking, and tears running down his cheek, Daniel knew what he had to do.

"-and you're going to know that you could have had a quick death if you hadn't just done that to me." Scourge growled as he stood before her, striking her once more.

"Scourge," Fiona said, "is she really worth the time? I mean we're killing daylight enough as it is."

"Shut up!" he roared sending a dangerous look towards the fox. "I want to make this bitch-"

The sound of tearing flesh brought his attention back in front of him, and he reared at the newly appeared spear that had imbedded itself in Silent's stomach.

Whoever had thrown it was either lucky or an amazing throw, because the spear had driven itself right into the hedgehog's heart, killing her instantly.

Scourge's light blue eyes scanned the vicinity, his teeth bared in a vicious snarl.

"Scourge!" Jet called and pointed to a silhouette that was rapidly disappearing into the tree line.

The emerald green hedgehog wanted to shout and curse and roar in fury, but he knew being dramatic would not help him. Instead he took in a deep breath and calmly turned to Jet.

"You still have that rope?" he asked with a smile, to which Jet replied with one of his own.

"Rouges," Jet said as he held out his board. "Let's ride!"

_**I know it has been waaaay too long since i updated to give you a chapter this small, but I'm just fitting into a new school and my exams just finished for the term, so I want to get back into the game. This is something of a welcome back chapter. Next one will be out by Sunday.**_

_**To answer your question Bosscakes, I'm actually Australian, half New Zealand I'll admit, but we still get marmite over here, but the factory in Christchurch got wreaked during the earthquakes so it hasn't been on shelves for a while. But I really was using the line from PAUL when the alien was looking the fridge to make bagels. **_

_**Any ways, **__**Later!**_


	16. Crossing paths

If it had been a real city, Tikal would have probably been in as much awe as she had been when she first arrived in the capitol. Buildings like claws of some dark creature, tearing deep wounds in the sky. Cars laid rusted and forgotten all across the roads, ancient machines that had long lived and breathed in the air around them as they traversed the streets.

Though she preferred the forest, this place was fast becoming one. Buildings were overgrown and riddled with vines and weeds. Roots broke through the surface of the tarmac roads like hatchlings awakening to the world. There were even some trees that had grown out of windows that hung lazily down sides of the towers.

_They must have been simple pot plants once. _ She thought to herself, as it seemed unlikely that a tree would just spring up and out of an office building, unless all the paper had turned back to its original form.

The three of them, quickly but quietly, ran for cover in the cars, alleys and at some point even hid in a dumpster, where Knuckles had to cover Blaze's mouth so that she wouldn't let out a shriek at the hordes of maggots that crawled over who knew how old garbage.

But they pressed on, they knew had to find a new place to stay, and if possible make it become more permanent. Maybe install some fortifications or traps. Each of them had practically grown up in the woods; trapping was just another part of their nature.

As the three of them hid under an old eighteen wheeler to catch there breath, Knuckles decided it was time to decide now where they where going.

"One of these places has to work, or we won' find a place before the sun comes down." He said as he scanned the vicinity for an ideal place to take shelter.

"What about that apartment building up there?" Blaze suggested, point up at one of the many towers that lined the street. "Its high off the ground and has a view of the street."

"No, those windows are too big, we'd be spotted three blocks away." Knuckles replied as he continued to scan the area.

"So we're looking for somewhere with a view, but not too exposed?" Tikal asked trying to narrow down their search.

"Exactly," Knuckles replied. "Somewhere that's easily defendable and has a back door, I don't want to be trapped with the only a out being a fifty foot drop."

They soon came out from cover, Knuckles arching his back which caused a nauseating crack.

"What about there?" Tikal pointed.

The building she was referring to was not a skyscraper. More like a small mansion that sat at the foot of giants. It's brick was deep red, with a dark green roof. Three stories, 2 small windows on each level and a large wooden door that could stand a decent amount of punishment.

"That'll work," Knuckles commented, "a place like that has to have a cellar or an attic where we could bunker down if we needed to."

The three of them began to make their way to the front door, but when blaze stopped in her tracks the other's knew something was wrong.

"Blaze?" Tikal asked, her hands clenching into a fist, ready for anything.

The cats ears twitched around her head like some kind of satellite dish

"Someone's coming. Four of them. I hear… Engines?" she said, confused as to what she was hearing." She looked her friends in the eye. "Hide." She said, and the three of them bolted back for the cover of the truck.

As they laid in wait for minutes which felt like hours, it appeared as if Blaze had been mistaken. But the two echidnas did not have her sense of hearing. She could tell the difference between a field mouse or a rat running through dry grass.

"Are you sure Blaze?" Knuckles asked, his eyes surveying the area. "I don't see any-"

Before he could finish his sentence, thrre high pitched squeals erupted over head, and they four of them pressed themselves down as low as they could

Three high pitched engines screamed overhead as three figures came into view, each atop of some kind of board. They hovered above the ground over the cars, before a fourth engine came screeching into the area, only this one was different. At first they assumed it would just be another board riding stranger, which it was to say the least, but as the fourth figure approached their group, a fifth body fell to the ground, with a rope around his neck.

Tikal had to hold back a scream when the body of what looked like a hedgehog fell to the ground, groaning in pain. At first Tikal's heart skipped a beat. It was hedgehog, and his fur was dark enough to be Shadow's.

She would have ran out to his side had the hedgehog not looked up at the three of them, coughing and struggling to breath. Instantly she kenw this couldn't be Shadow. She had looked into the black hedgehogs eyes long enough to know that they were a deeper and more ruby red thatn this one. And his stripes were a shade of dark pink.

The look in his eyes were desperate. He was silently begging for help. But if they walked out there than they would surely be killed. The figures on the boards were team two. They were skilled, armed, and with their boards they were far more agile.

"He- help…" the hedgehog struggled to say before the rope was jerked upwards, with him along with it.

He continued to hang in the air, flailing and suffocating much to the amusement of team 2. They were going to hang him, just like the heathen kings of old.

It was sick. Twisted. The fact that youths were capable of doing this smile on their faces whilst they did this was something that could only exist in fiction. _**(HA! I get it!)**_

The members all wanted so desperately to do something. Knukles' grip tightened greatly on his sword, but he had to do his best to restrain himself. If he ran out there now then it could be game over for them. He was one of the physically strongest in the entire arena, to feel so powerless would have nearly broken had he not remembered that he was doing this for Tikal. It was either her or the helpless hedgehog that hung before him.

Jet laughed maniacally.

"jeez kid, I knew you had guts, but enough to spill your sister's? I'll hand it to ya, that was a good throw, but really you should have just ran. Run home to momma."

Despite being hung by his neck, the hedgehog lashed out for the Jet, which of course worked to no avail, causing the birds to laugh hysterically.

"Ya know, I was worried we weren't going to catch you for a second. And now look at you! Your life hanging by a thread!"

The four of them watched the hedgehog's last signs of like begin to slip away, his feet began to only twitch, and his eyes began to close.

Tikal and Blaze looked away, tears running down the echidnas eyes as she heard the final gasps for life… before she heard what sounded like two bodiesy impacting the ground.

Her eyes shot open and peered out to the sight of not only the hedgehog on the ground, taking in as much air as he could, but the pigeon, who's name they could not recall at the time. Only her eyes seemed wide with surprise, and a pool of blood began to gather around her whilst three arrows protruded from her back.

"Cherl!" the albatross screamed in horror.

"Crap! Rouges! Juice it!" Jet ordered as his boards engine fired up, sending him flying out of the area with a boom.

"What about Cherl?!" Storm argued as he continued to watch her body lying lifeless on the ground.

"Forget her Storm! She's dead! MOVE!" Wave screeched before tearing off after their leader, with Storm in a hot but hesitant pursuit.

Once Blaze confirmed the rapidly increasing distance of the Team 2, the three of them crawled out from under the truck, watching the rooftops for signs of the unknown archer.

Despite Knuckles' requests for caution, Tikal rushed out to aid the hedgehog, who continued to fight for every breath.

"Can you hear me? Are you okay?" she asked whilst searching for any other injuries.

The stranger let out several hacking coughs, causing Tikal to lean back a bit to provide him with room.

Once he had calmed down a little, he smiled to the echidna.

"I'll- I'll be okay. I just have to take it easy for a while. You… You guys saved my life, I owe you."

"It wasn't us." Said Blaze solemnly, her ears closed and her ears twitching to the slightest of sounds all around her.

Her gaze focused on an overturned car a few meters away.

"Whoever is there, come out now before we're forced to do something drastic." She commanded, a new source of strength in her voice.

The four of them heard a small shuffling form behind the car before a hoode individual emerged from cover. The body structure was that of a mail, with a brown leather jacket over top a matching hoodie.

Slung across the new strangers back was a quiver full of arrows and in his hand was a bow.

"Who are you?" Knuckles asked, holding the sword in front of him.

A gloved hand reached up and pulled back the hood, revealing a head of teal coloured quills.

"Ah! Miss Tikal!" exclaimed Rob happily, "It is good to see you made it through the first five minutes. "

"Rob?" Tikal asked, feeling quite surprised that she had run into the hedgehog so early in the game. "It's good to see you too. Where's the rest of your team?"

"We got separated last night. One of the other teams ambushed us near the library. They said they'd meet up with me down by the waterfall a little further west."

"Library? Waterfall? What are you talking about?" asked a confused red echidna.

"This arena is set up to be like the ruins of a city," explained Rob, "however there is also some forested area to the north and a waterfall and river to the west. The rest of it is mostly cityscape."

"What about the forest where we started?"

Rob smiled.

"Believe it or not but that place is supposed to be a park." His emerald green eyes then settled upon Blaze. "Silver told me that if I saw you to bring you guys with me. He believes that if we team up then we can have a better chance."

The hedgehog was suddenly grabbed by the collar by Blaze, who stood there with eyes wide enough to think that she had gone crazy. In a way she did.

"Silver? Where is he? Is he all right? Did he say anything else? Dammit why aren't you saying anything?!"

"Madam!" Rob fiercely shouted over her, causing her ears to flatten and her tail to droop. Soon however a warm smile spread over his features. "Silver is quite well. He also tole me to inform you that were only other thing on his mind, second only to his team."

Blaze's grip loosened as well as her expression, which faded to a smile of nothing but relief.

As Tikal and Blaze continued to converse with Rob, and the other new hedgehog was busy catching his breath Knuckles turned to the lifeless form of the pigeon. As words continued to be exchanged, he strode over to investigate. It was hard to believe that Rob had gotten the host he had.

As he stood over the girl's body, he closed his eyes and sighed. Despite what she had done, no one deserved to die at such a young age. It didn't matter who they were.

The echidna felt the hedgehog stand by his side.

"How're you doing?" he asked.

The stranger growled angrily.

"I was dragged for at least a hundred meters with a robe around my neck. How the hell do you think I feel?"

Knuckles wasn't sure how to proceed. It had been a really stupid question, so the fault was his for such a snarky response.

"I'm sorry… You uh… where's the rest of your team?"

"Dead. Mighty, Karma and Si-…" the hedgehogs words faded and his head hung, tears forming rivers down his face. "and Silent… my sister…"

This revelation hit Knuckles like a freight train. Almost an entire team had been wiped out and it was only the second day. It was one thing for any team member to die, but to have your whole team, including your sister taken from you… that was the barbaric nature of the Chaos Games.

As the hedgehog silently wept to himself, refusing to face the others and show any signs of weakness, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder, his eyes like waterfalls of tears that might never end.

It was the orange echidna that stood behind him, a comforting smile on her face.

"What's your name?"

It took him a second to respond, struggling over hole that had formed in his heart.

"Daniel, Daniel the Hedgehog."

"It's nice to meet you Daniel, I'm-"

"I know who you are. You're Team 12. Tikal, Blaze and Knuckles. Everyone knows who your guys are." His eyes scanned the group, a brow raising in confusion. "Where's Shadow? Should he be here with you?"

A scoff came from the red echidna who marched off into their safe house, grumbling all the while.

Tikal watched him go before turning her gaze back to Daniel.

"It's complicated. I'll tell you what, you come inside and we'll get you sorted out and I'll tell you all about it." She looked over her shoulder. "You too Rob, if we're following you, you're staying with us for the night."

The archer replied with a smile and a nod before the members of teams 12, 11 and 6 made their way inside.

The river was fresh, but it was wise to collect a bottleful from where the water ran white. That was where it was cleanest.

The black hedgehog stood out in the centre of the river atop a large rock that protruded from the waters depths. He lowered his canteen into the water before pouring it over his shoulder.

His teeth clenched together savagely as the water cooled a blood soaked wound. He had accidentally come across one of the other teams whilst searching an apartment complex. He could have taken them in close quarters, problem was once of them, a large fat purple cat had a shotgun, as well as an itchy trigger finger.

The thing with shotguns was that you didn't have to have good aim, with most of the standard ones it was just point shoot and you'd leave a large whole in whatever was unlucky to be in front of you.

Shadow had been quick but the lucky cat had hit his arm with a large number of pellets from the round. He hadn't lived to shoot another one after the hedgehog rushed him in a rage before imbedding both his claws within his stomach.

The rest of the team were not happy at all with the loss of their comrade, and had chased the hedgehog for at least a few miles. Now he was alone, with no shelter, his food back in his safe house, and it was pitch black at night.

He sighed as he stood from his position on the rock, looking out into the sky at the flat pale form of the moon. He could imagine that somewhere at that moment Tikal might have been staring at the same moon. He could also imagine in like a mirror on an angle, all he had to do was wave and she would know he was there. Alive and well.

Despite the complete and utter impossibilities associated with such an act, he did it any way. He smiled at the idea of seeing Tikal wave back to him from within the moons bleak round body.

If you're done staring at that rock," called a voice, causing Shadow to instantly draw his claws, "you can come and eat with us if you want to."

Shadow located the source of the voice to the form of a body on the side of the river. However as his eyes adjusted to the features of the stranger, he sighed with relief and the sight of white quills.

"Hello Silver." He said, before making his way over to him.

_**Well I didn't update as soon as I had wanted to, but its still the quickest i've updated in a while. I didn't really feel like doing through and editing this, so don't go giving me bad rep for that. I just wanted to get this out as soon as possible for you guys. You Guys as the reason I'm sticking with this story until the end. It's because you love it and because of all the support and praise you give me for it. So spread it around, tell your friends or put this on any communities you want. The more people and support I get for it, the more devoted I can become, and the more chapters I can start putting out there.**_

_**Until then, farewell.**_

_**-xcaliber234**_


	17. Memories

A deep sigh escaped the fox's lips as she waited for the fire to be lit. Her legs were hung over the back of tattered red couch in the middle of what was some kind of lounge room.

The only others in the room were Espio, who sat in the corner in silence, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. And Aurora, who quietly prodded the fire with a small stick.

The three of them said nothing, for there was nothing to say. They had only known each other since they were selected on the day of the reaping, and even during their two weeks of training they hadn't bonded all that much.

The only relationship that had existed was between the now deceased Charmy and Espio The Chameleon had known the be since he was a newborn, and the two had bond between them during their youth had been strong.

However the comparison between the strength of that bond and Charmy's own was monumental, and the young bee had succumbed to that lack of strength within the first few minutes of the Games.

Espio continued to play the strong silent cliché, but deep down his heart had been ripped apart. He was his source of strength and his goal had been to ensure that Charmy returned to his parents. But it was not to be.

"Why are we just sitting here?" Candy asked, breaking the silence that had long settled over the trio. "We could be out there taking down the weaker teams! We should be trying to find more weapons, because I know I wasn't the only one who heard that gunshot before." She said, standing from her seat.

"Going out whilst it is dark would prove fruitless." Espio commented, his eyes remaining shut. "There is no wisdom in hunting any enemy when the hunter is blind."

"What about Aurora?" the fox complained. "She can see better than any of us!"

The young panther was surprised to hear what seemed like a compliment from the older woman. It was true that she was able to navigate her way trough the dark with more ease than the rest of them, but she saw what Candy was trying to do.

One of the many reasons why she hated the Games was because it tested the bonds of loyalty and respect within a team, and could bring out an individuals true colours with but a swing of a sword.

The more of a team that died, the greater the rewards for the winning team.

And if Candy was anything aside from manipulative, she was smart. Doing this would allow her to keep her hands clean whilst cutting down the team at the same time.

"No." Epsio said, causing both of the ladies eyes to direct themselves upon him.

"No?" Candy asked, sounding almost confused, "What do you mean no?! We're sitting here starving and exposed whilst we have someone who could go out there and bring us back something! I don't care what she brings back, as long as she-"

"I SAID NO!" barked Espio as he stood from his spot, standing at least a full foot over his comrade.

"I will not risk losing another teammate! Not like this. If you want food so badly, go get it yourself, don't go throwing people out the door just because you're afraid of a knife getting pulled across your throat!

The chameleon sighed, his anger subsiding, but still remaining.

"Now just sit down and shut up." He ordered before returning to his spot

The fox was standing there, her face frozen in what could ony be described as shock and awe at how high the chameleon had raised his voice. It was rare enough for him to say anything, but to have him shout loud enough to frighten her was something that just didn't happen.

Following his orders she reluctantly sat down, and continued to remain silent for the rest of that evening.

Aurora meanwhile looked back into the now dying fire that was slowly becoming nothing but embers. However, she hid her grin as she relished in the idea that Candy had just been told to sit down.

The next morning there was a strange feeling of nostalgia as a pair of crimson eyes peered into the distance. Beyond the waterfall were lush green forests, that went hand in hand with a brilliant blue sky. It was the same kind of sight that could be seen at home, deep in the forests where Shadow and a few others would hunt and gather for their families.

Of course his heart sank at the memory that those few others were the other members of his team.

The memories of hunting and his team soon melded into one, and the pair of crimson eyes soon closed and began to peer into his memories.

_There was a heavy overcast that day, it was like a mask that the sky wore to hide its brilliance. But still, the mixture of greys and blacks was still beautiful in their own way. _

_And with the overcast came the rains. It was a cherished time for most of the district because it was one of the few times they got to have water that fresh._

_And with the rains came the perfect noise to silence a hunter's movement. _

_Shadow was one of the few who ever strayed into the wood alone, especially as deep as he did. It was deeper in the ancient wood that the best prey roamed. Deer that were large enough to feed two families for a week. Hordes of small squirrels and possums that were in great abundance anytime of the year. _

_It was a cornucopia of good fortune for hunters who were willing to brave the deep wood. For it was in the wood that many had lost their lives, either to the ferocity of a stag, or to slip and fall in the treacherous land, that was said to be dotted with crevices and caves for miles around._

_But if it had mean feeding his family, Shadow was willing to move past the rumours and risk it. Were there risks to his actions? Of course. Did he let fear of these risks stop him? Far from it._

_He welcomed the opportunity to prove his superiority over nature. He embraced the challenges that the wood threw at him. Every stumble and every fall was a rush. And with that rush the black hedgehog never felt more alive._

_However, it had been one day that the rush came not from the risk of his own life, but the risk to save another. _

_He had made his best kill in a week, a stag who ha refused to back down. With the animals refusal however came its down fall. It had come at Shadow with its antlers lowered, ready to impale him. _

_But it was all in the timing, and with one discreet knife thrust he had dealt with it._

_The sun had already set as he made his way back through the wood, the beast lying limp over his shoulders. This was dangerous, it was a risk to be in the woods, it was near suicidal to be there at night._

_Each step was a struggle for survival, even with years of experience the forest could change through out the course of a single night, its landscape could be torn to pieces, and the hunter would have to adapt to a new environment. _

_It was as he made his way home that he heard it. The scream. High pitched. Female. Judging by the echo it was less than one hundred meters away to the east… near a crevice that was deep enough that sunlight had once never graced it since the dawn of time._

_Shadow knew that he was out late enough to risk getting caught violating curfew. But he knew that too many had wept for their family that never returned from the deep wood. _

_So with each blind step the hedgehog powered towards the source of the voice, each step a risk on his own life in the night._

_Soon he reached what he believed was the location of the scream. The crevice itself was a hole of gaping darkness, defining itself to him clearly from the rest of the surrounding scenery. _

_He had began to think that maybe it was his imagination, that the stress of the hunt had gotten to his head. But them he heard it again. That scream. This time it had coalesced into words. _

_"Somebody! Help!" It cried out. _

_Letting his stag fall from his shoulders, Shadow moved slowly to the rim of darkness, peering down into its depths. The moonlight only revealed so much, but he could see her. An echidna, a peach orange in colour, and with eyes like the late morning sky._

_"Is someone there? Please, you have to help me!"_

_She had to have only seen the hedgehog's silhouette against the night sky above. _

_How he was supposed to help her though was question that remained to be answered. He looked around the rim of the crevice. There were no secure hand or footholds he could use. The fact that this girl was still there was amazing. _

_ There were no vines he could use, and she was far to deep for him to simply reach in and pluck her out of danger. He would have to find a source of help outside the hole. Slowly he made his way to the surrounding area, hoping to find something that would help. _

_However the echidna cried out once more._

_"NO! Please! Don't go!" sobbing could now be heard. "Please…"_

_Shadow didn't even know this girl. But like all Mobians she needed to be assured of her safety. _

_"You're not going to die." He said loud enough for her to hear._

_The girl gasped at this, silently praying that the voice she heard was real. _

_She continued on like this, mentally slapping herself to know that the voice was real. She had fallen in stupidly whilst picking berries from a nearby ledge. Before she knew it she was tumbling down a hill and into the Deep Wood. _

_Then for just a few seconds, she flew. But it was short lived as she felt herself beginning to fall downwards. She had reach out for the nearest surface, and felt herself latch onto a small ledge of some kind. However it was only about as long as her hand. _

_And then she realized she was hanging in what could only be described as the mouth to hell._

_If someone was up there, they were here only hope._

_"Oh god… please…" she begged. But her begging was short lived when she felt a slight tap on the top of her head. _

_She gazed upwards, and was both surprised and tankful to see a thick and long branch hanging down from the top of the crevice. It had to be the owner of the voice she had heard before._

_"Grab on." The voice spoke calmly._

_The echidna was unsure of the strength of whoever was holding the branch, but it was better hope than the ledge._

_Slowly and carefully she grabbed onto the lifeline with one hand, before putting her trust in the stranger and grabbing it with the other._

_"I've got it!" she called up, and was surprised when she felt herself swiftly rising to the top of the hole, and for a few moments she flew through the air before landing into the dirt, winded, but alive and safe. _

_Once she came to terms with now safe environment, she stood up, looking for her saviour. But all that remained was the branch that had rescued her. _

_She continued to scan the area, desperately trying to find the owner of the voice she heard. However there was no sign that anyone had been there. She stared off into the darkness, waiting for someone to come out and ask if they were okay, to tell her that they saved her. But no one came. _

_She did soon however hear the voices of her friends, shouting out her name as they scanned the area for her. She turned to their voices and began at a quick but cautious pace through the deepwood._

_Before she disappeared however, she turned back in his direction amongst the under growth. His quills helped him blend into the night, and he watched her stare out, waiting once more for her saviour. But then she turned and ran off, calling out for own friends as she went._

"What're you thinking about Shadow?" asked a voice, causing the black hedgehogs eyes to snap open.

He looked to his side at Silver, who had taken a spot next to him on the waterfall. The two of them stood there watching out into the distance, out into the matrimony of sky and earth.

"Just thinking how much this reminds me of home." He said, choosing not to talk to Silver about his memory.

"I imagine so. My place was a little different. Instead of forests we had orchards. Instead of open grasslands we had endless fields. But a pinewood sounds a lot better than a forest of wheat." He joked. Before turning around.

"Come on, we've got enough food for some light lunch." He said before disappearing back to their camp.

Shadow took one last look out over the forests, before looking over his shoulder to the concrete jungle in the distance. The ruined towers housed thousands of places to hide. Tikal had to be in one of them.

"You're not going to die," He said to himself, "not here."

And with that he followed after Silver to the smell of lunch.


	18. AN UPDATE!

Hey guys what is up this is xcaliber234

A quick update regarding the Chaos Games. I am afraid that I will have to cancel the series on account that school work is becoming a monumental part of my life. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to come back to it.

**_JUST KIDDING!_**

Well now that I have lost most of my readers I will actually mention what it was I wanted to tell you. you may or may not have noticed the new cover art for Chaos Games, this was a great job done by a very great friend of mine. We have a deal that with every new chapter that I post she will make a create a new one for each chapter. She already has one for the first chapter, but there are still a few more to do. (I'll have to organise a new deal if she wants to keep up with my newer chapters)

But to check out some of her stuff, her username is universegirl97.

But anyway go and check out her deviantart account, she's got some other great works of her own there to check out and if you can support her that would be great and it would encourage me to write more.

I will admit that school is becoming more of a hassle for me, but all the same I will try my best to make sure you guys get the best of what I can bring you.

So until next time I've been excaliber234, review, favourite and put me on that alert list, and i will see you all soon.


	19. A cracked heart

**_I know it's not a very long chapter, but I figured post this just to let you all know I'm still alive and working on this, Enjoy!_**

Knuckles wished he could have called it a restful sleep, but something about the risk of imposing death made it hard for him to get his forty winks. Since they had run into Daniel and Rob it became harder for them to get around without being noticed, so they were required to hold up in at least half a dozen different apartments over the past three days.

That night however, according to Rob, would be their last one in the city as they were less than half a day's hikes to the site where Silver and the others were.

Blaze seemed especially excited about this. Knuckles was still unsure about whether they could trust team 11, but they didn't have much of a choice. They were low on supplies now and an alliance seemed rather good in the eyes of his stomach.

He sat up from bed, which was a very thin rug on the floor next to Blaze, Daniel and Rob. It must have been Tikal's watch because her place was empty.

Quietly he got up and made his way out of the room. It was a small house they had found, Rob had said it was the last place that anyone would search. There was practically no view or any natural cover, so Rob figured that no one would think to search there.

Daniel had piped up, as he usually did now, mentioning that what if there were other teams that thought like Rob and assumed that someone would hide there for the fact that they expected no one to find them there, making them more exposed then the archer believed.

Rob had politely told Daniel to shut up, however he might have swore a few times under his breath.

The red echidna walked over to the kitchen, where Tikal sat, her eyes staring out of the window and into the darkness. She had clearly not seen him yet, otherwise she would have told him to go back to bed.

Instead Knuckles chose to remain silent, and began to sneak up behind his childhood friend. He knew that if he went to scare her it would be a very cruel prank, considering their situation. But he felt like a little humour was needed, even if it was small. And he used to do it all the time back in the forest, so hopefully that would bring back some nice memories.

As he made his way toward her however, he heard a word, a name escape under the echidna's breath.

"Shadow…"

This caused him to stop in his tracks as he felt a crack threaten to tear his heart in two. He had thought that what he had feared between Tikal and the black hedgehog had been nothing. And even now he begged to no one in particular that it wasn't true.

He refrained from scaring her now, having lost all interest. But he didn't want to talk to her about it either. He knew that already districts all around Mobius would be gossiping, since there was most likely a camera watching them even then.

"Hey." He said causally, causing her to jump.

"Knuckles! I didn't hear you." She said with a smile.

"I came in to take your shift from you early."

"Are you sure?" she asked, "I've still got half an hour-"

"I'm sure." Knuckles snapped, more loudly than he should have, before smiling calmly. "I can't sleep all that well anyway."

"Well, alright." She said as she made her way out of the room before turning back to him. He had hoped she would say something. Anything. But she just smiled and walked away. Leaving him with a crack in his heart that was now beginning to grow as the night went on.


End file.
